Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Boosts Stock Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 61.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,346,450 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 510,465 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.40% of Vistra worth $185,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Century Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $119.05 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $64.26 and a 52-week high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

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.