ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 51,559 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,910 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $7,108,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $156.55 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.37. 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 1 year low of $66.50 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The company has a market capitalization of $53.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be issued a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 18th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.