Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Bought by Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.

Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,331,714 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 150,414 shares during the quarter. Vistra makes up about 4.5% of Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $157,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 0.0 %

VST stock opened at $154.16 on Wednesday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $35.99 and a 52 week high of $168.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $135.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.22. The company has a market capitalization of $52.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

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