Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $161.31 and last traded at $155.7420. Approximately 4,315,808 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 5,403,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America cut their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Up 1.3%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $160.31 and a 200 day moving average of $172.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $484,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $659,000. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 85.8% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 8,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after buying an additional 3,721 shares during the period. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $282,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $74,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.