Traders Purchase Large Volume of Vistra Call Options (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 55,876 call options on the company. This is an increase of 129% compared to the typical daily volume of 24,434 call options.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $141.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.97. Vistra has a 52-week low of $138.53 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.93.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $24,019,000. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 5.9% during the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in Vistra by 976.9% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 583,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,731,000 after purchasing an additional 529,398 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.9% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,061,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,641,000 after purchasing an additional 19,920 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $819,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the period. 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.