Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Increases Stake in Vistra Corp.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. has significantly increased its investment in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 85.2% in the fourth quarter, as detailed in the latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This boost reduced their stake to 155,144 shares after acquiring an additional 71,373 shares during that period. As of the recent filing, the total value of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Vistra stood at approximately $21,390,000.

Institutional Investors Influence on Vistra

A variety of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also adjusted their shares in Vistra. Raymond James Financial Inc. entered into a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP raised its stake in Vistra by 112.5% in the same period, now holding 2,700,000 shares valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an extra 1,429,612 shares. Additionally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings by 51.1% in the prior quarter, owning 3,826,631 shares valued at $453,609,000 after buying another 1,293,974 shares. State Street Corp raised its stake by 6.8%, now holding 16,355,255 shares worth $1,938,752,000. Meanwhile, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position by 36.0%, now owning 3,781,908 shares estimated at $448,320,000. Notably, approximately 90.88% of Vistra's stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Recent Analyst Ratings

Several brokerage firms have recently commented on Vistra's stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on January 21, recommending an "outperform" rating and setting a price target of $202.00. Bank of America upgraded its rating from "neutral" to "buy", while modifying its price target from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on March 4. Daiwa America issued a "hold" rating on March 5, and BMO Capital Markets increased its price target from $151.00 to $191.00, alongside giving "outperform" ratings on January 22. Morgan Stanley also raised its price target from $135.00 to $169.00, labeling the stock as "overweight". In total, two analysts have rated it as a hold, while eleven have given it a buy rating. MarketBeat.com indicates the stock holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $162.83.

Current Stock Performance

As for the stock's performance, Shares of Vistra opened at $130.75 recently. It has a fifty-day simple moving average of $151.74 and a 200-day moving average of $138.21. Over the past year, Vistra's stock price reached a low of $64.26 and a high of $199.84. The company's current ratio is 1.11, indicating its ability to meet short-term liabilities, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68 suggests that the company is somewhat leveraged. Vistra maintains a market capitalization of $44.47 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39 and a beta of 1.21.

Dividend Announcement

Vistra Corp. has also announced its quarterly dividend, which is to be paid out on March 31. Shareholders who are on record by March 20 will receive a dividend of $0.2235, reflecting an increase from the previous quarter's dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is also set for March 20, leading to an annualized dividend of $0.89 and a yield of 0.68%. The dividend payout ratio stands at 12.62%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related insider trading activities, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares on March 3 at an average price of $124.19, totaling approximately $2,997,449.84. Following this sale, he holds 51,063 shares valued at around $6,341,513.97, indicating a decrease of approximately 32.10% in his ownership. Furthermore, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares on March 12 at an average cost of $126.75, totaling $190,125, thereby increasing his ownership to 3,467 shares valued at $439,442.25. Insiders currently own about 1.42% of the stock.

Vistra Corp. Overview

Vistra Corp. operates as an integrated power generation and retail electricity company in the United States. Its diverse operations span six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure, providing electricity and natural gas to a variety of residential and commercial customers throughout the country.

Investment, Stocks, Dividends