Verus Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Verus Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $529,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VST. Lone Pine Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.6% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $587,932,000 after purchasing an additional 425,126 shares during the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 470.0% during the 1st quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company's stock worth $262,569,000 after buying an additional 3,108,511 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 9,668.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,940,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,779,000 after purchasing an additional 2,910,015 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 25.1% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 2,564,705 shares of the company's stock worth $178,632,000 after acquiring an additional 514,722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Vistra by 115.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company's stock worth $217,758,000 after buying an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.09. 3,860,820 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,942,292. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $48.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $116.89 and a 200 day moving average of $96.49. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $34.25 and a 1-year high of $149.80.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $145.40.

Vistra Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.