AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 332,700 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 462.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 404,580 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 332,700 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.12% of Vistra worth $55,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Vistra by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,609,000 after buying an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 60.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after buying an additional 797,894 shares during the period. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 33.5% in 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 during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $167.59 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $158.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.78. The firm has a market cap of $57.02 billion, a PE ratio of 31.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $44.25 and a 12-month high of $199.84.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.