Centaurus Financial Inc. Increases Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 64.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,067 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 811 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 115.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 121.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,536,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,082,000 after buying an additional 841,292 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 106.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,384,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,050,000 after acquiring an additional 713,705 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE:VST opened at $154.54 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $34.88 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The firm has a market cap of $52.58 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. 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 fifty day moving average price of $129.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.03.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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.