GLOBALT Investments LLC GA Makes New Investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

GLOBALT Investments LLC GA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $767,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at $842,000. Czech National Bank increased its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after purchasing an additional 7,747 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter valued at $1,675,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $146.64 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.99. 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 one year low of $34.25 and a one year high of $152.64. The firm has a market cap of $49.89 billion, a PE ratio of 27.36 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.