Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 5.1% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price rose 5.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $171.66 and last traded at $171.4250. Approximately 5,949,697 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 6,511,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley set a $227.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $237.53.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $58.08 billion, a PE ratio of 61.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $162.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total value of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. This represents a 9.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $930,080,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.