J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Grows Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,570 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,681,000 after buying an additional 7,753 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 17.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 625,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,123,000 after purchasing an additional 94,268 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 43.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 235,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,880,000 after purchasing an additional 70,780 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $169.21 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $45.52 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $159.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.88. The company has a market cap of $57.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra announced 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 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.