Kentucky Retirement Systems Takes $2.84 Million Position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 23,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,837,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $842,000. Czech National Bank increased its stake in Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in Vistra during the first quarter worth about $1,675,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $142.15 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $119.52 and its 200-day moving average is $97.52. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $34.25 and a 1 year high of $149.80.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Vistra Company Profile

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.