Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 144,711 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 951,294 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 144,711 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $131,157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 9.7 %

NYSE:VST opened at $97.76 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $140.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.08. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $64.26 and a 1-year high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.23.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company 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.