D.A. Davidson & CO. Sells 13,154 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 76.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,111 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,154 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 228,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,095,000 after acquiring an additional 8,647 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 4.3% during the third quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 37,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Vistra by 80.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 535,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,045,000 after purchasing an additional 238,097 shares during the last quarter. Vision Capital Corp bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,960,000. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 220,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,130,000 after buying an additional 150,233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $154.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $35.99 and a fifty-two week high of $168.67. The stock has a market cap 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.36 and a 200-day moving average of $102.80.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

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.