Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 6.7% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 6.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $182.56 and last traded at $180.25. 7,008,376 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 6,893,061 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $61.07 billion, a PE ratio of 65.07, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. Equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a $0.227 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 300,362 shares of company stock worth $55,194,619 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 7.1% in the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Vistra by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.