Westend Capital Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 44,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,199,000. Vistra accounts for about 1.8% of Westend Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TrueWealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $487,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $3,296,000. Retireful LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,212,000. Steph & Co. lifted its position in Vistra by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 1,727 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $756,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VST traded down $2.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $171.10. The stock had a trading volume of 8,254,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,420,974. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $39.08 and a 1 year high of $178.40. The firm's 50 day moving average is $151.89 and its 200-day moving average is $116.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.