Longbow Finance SA Invests $11.95 Million in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Longbow Finance SA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 86,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,947,000. Vistra accounts for approximately 1.3% of Longbow Finance SA’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Umpqua Bank increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 81 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 5.2 %

NYSE:VST opened at $142.66 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $48.22 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.18. 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 company has a market capitalization of $48.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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

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.