Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 2.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $158.55 and last traded at $158.0630. 4,308,766 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 5,724,498 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.7020.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on VST. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $53.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $153.95 and its 200-day moving average is $161.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.