Caprock Group LLC Raises Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 37.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,329 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 899 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Vistra were worth $459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $231,000. Empire Life Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in Vistra by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $842,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $171.33 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $58.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.97, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.59. 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 Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $42.22 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

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.