Blue Trust Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Blue Trust Inc. reduced its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 87.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,170 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,884 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $162.93 on Friday. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $45.80 and a fifty-two week high of $199.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.37. The company has a market capitalization of $55.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22. 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 authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.