Longbow Finance SA Buys New Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Longbow Finance SA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 86,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,947,000. Vistra accounts for about 1.3% of Longbow Finance SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 616.0% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST opened at $142.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $48.22 and a twelve month high of $199.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $160.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

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 purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.