1,700 Shares in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Acquired by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund acquired a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Vistra by 4.8% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $284,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Vistra by 104.8% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,962,000 after purchasing an additional 21,418 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 39,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,732,000 after purchasing an additional 4,405 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Vistra by 104.1% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 107,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,700,000 after purchasing an additional 54,645 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $147.84 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $160.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.70. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $48.22 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on 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 lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.