Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 1.2% on Monday . The company traded as high as $170.45 and last traded at $167.59. Approximately 5,707,110 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 10,342,942 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $158.32 and its 200-day moving average is $129.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.27, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP lifted its stake in Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.