Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $448.32 Million Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 36.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 1.11% of Vistra worth $448,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its position in Vistra by 2.2% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 3.6 %

Vistra stock opened at $154.16 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $35.99 and a 1-year high of $168.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $134.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. Guggenheim increased their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Company 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.