Goldentree Asset Management LP Purchases New Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 103,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,256,000. Vistra accounts for about 1.0% of Goldentree Asset Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VST. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 42,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Vistra by 68.5% in the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 21,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 8,727 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $192,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Vistra by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,190,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,146,000 after purchasing an additional 77,572 shares during the period. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,422,000 after buying an additional 654,568 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $154.52 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $34.88 and a twelve month high of $168.67. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $132.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.77.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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.