Virtu Financial LLC Reduces Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 80.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,990 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Appaloosa LP lifted its stake in Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 33.5% during the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after buying an additional 654,568 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,779,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,387,000 after buying an additional 194,404 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $119.35 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $148.43 and its 200 day moving average is $139.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $40.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $64.26 and a 52-week high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. 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. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.