BNP Paribas Acquires Shares of 38,286 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 38,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,538,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 125.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 5.5 %

Shares of VST opened at $162.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $34.70 and a 1-year high of $168.67. The stock has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.03.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on VST. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

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.