Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stake Trimmed by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,307,974 shares of the company’s stock after selling 171,339 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $180,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its position in Vistra by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $130.75 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $64.26 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $151.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.