Seelaus Asset Management LLC Acquires Shares of 2,975 Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Seelaus Asset Management LLC bought a new position 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. The firm bought 2,975 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $842,000. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after purchasing an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $1,675,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $142.23 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $34.25 and a 52-week high of $149.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $119.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.23. The company has a market capitalization of $48.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. 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 target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim upped their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

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.