Wright Investors Service Inc. Invests $283,000 in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Wright Investors Service Inc. bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra 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 owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $162.63 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.31. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $38.95 and a twelve month high of $169.19.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

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.