Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.9% Higher – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $124.68 and last traded at $124.57. Approximately 1,700,911 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 7,710,991 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Up 3.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.35. The firm has a market cap of $43.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.