Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.7% Higher – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 2.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $176.36 and last traded at $172.86. 2,941,706 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 10,057,872 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $156.64 and a 200 day moving average of $124.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.78, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.