2,458 Shares in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Acquired by Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC

Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after buying an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 28,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,900,000 after acquiring an additional 2,818 shares in the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 11,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,536,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Vistra by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 29,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,064,000 after purchasing an additional 3,673 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,070,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’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 represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on VST shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 28.3 %

Shares of VST stock opened at $136.96 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $156.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.79. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $40.54 and a twelve month high of $199.84. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $46.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

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.