Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 0.2% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 0.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $145.52 and last traded at $137.41. Approximately 8,955,998 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 9,152,235 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Up 9.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $50.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.79. 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 (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.