B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Purchases 2,355 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 94.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,853 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,355 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $132.89 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $37.38 and a 52 week high of $168.67. The firm has a market cap of $45.21 billion, a PE ratio of 24.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $140.12 and its 200-day moving average is $106.73.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. 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. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

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.