KBC Group NV Buys 3,673 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 29,475 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,673 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Vistra were worth $4,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $2,070,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,621,000 after acquiring an additional 2,704 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $433,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 619.0% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 870 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $176.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.98 billion, a PE ratio of 32.89, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50-day moving average is $156.12 and its 200-day moving average is $121.82. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $40.78 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra 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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, 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 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.