Versor Investments LP Sells 16,150 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Versor Investments LP reduced its stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 74.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,406 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,150 shares during the quarter. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Vistra were worth $641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $842,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,675,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on VST shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $142.09 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $116.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $34.25 and a 52 week high of $149.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.