Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.6% Higher – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were up 2.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.97 and last traded at $167.62. Approximately 4,940,697 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 5,991,563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The stock has a market cap of $56.79 billion, a PE ratio of 77.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $163.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was 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 approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $930,080,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $322,660,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 280.6% in the 2nd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,876,000 after buying an additional 1,000,000 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.1% during the third 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 last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.