Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.2% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 2.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $175.94 and last traded at $175.39. Approximately 4,759,090 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 6,052,472 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.73.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $162.72 and a 200-day moving average of $181.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.32, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 32.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at $930,080,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $322,660,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 280.6% in the 2nd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.