Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Purchases Shares of 1,720 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 7.8 %

VST stock opened at $150.51 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 52 week low of $46.18 and a 52 week high of $199.84. The company has a market capitalization of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.92. 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 declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.