Diversify Advisory Services LLC Grows Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 62.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,543 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,511 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in Vistra by 0.7% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 1.7 %

VST stock opened at $171.10 on Tuesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $39.08 and a 52-week high of $178.40. 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 $58.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.73.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas initiated 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Company 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.