Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,778 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $6,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $276,000. GM Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $281,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in Vistra by 54.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 15,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 5,278 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 131.4% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,099,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,298,000 after purchasing an additional 624,272 shares during the period. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $7,338,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE VST opened at $154.54 on Thursday. 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. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $34.88 and a 52 week high of $168.67. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.03.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

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.