Nuveen Asset Management LLC Acquires 165,396 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,769,749 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 165,396 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Vistra worth $243,995,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised 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 buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP increased its position in Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.83.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of VST traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $157.33. The stock had a trading volume of 5,134,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,560,265. The company has a market cap of $53.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.16. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $66.50 and a 52 week high of $199.84. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.42 and a 200 day moving average of $142.37.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.15%.

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.