Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.2% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 2.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $175.94 and last traded at $175.39. 4,759,090 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 6,052,472 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.73.

Vistra Trading Up 2.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $162.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.12. The firm has a market cap of $59.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.32, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower?carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.