Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares Purchased by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 91.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,493 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Vistra were worth $1,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP lifted 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 purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 88,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. This trade represents a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 243,136 shares of company stock worth $37,529,690 in the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vistra Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:VST traded down $1.73 on Friday, hitting $158.00. 1,485,120 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,479,622. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $199.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market cap of $53.62 billion, a PE ratio of 29.42, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $178.00 price objective (up from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.08.

Vistra Company 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.