Bridges Investment Management Inc. Grows Stake in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,322 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 7.4 %

Vistra stock opened at $123.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.83. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $55.28 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra 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.