Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.8% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 1.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $151.47 and last traded at $150.2160. Approximately 5,344,352 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 5,590,071 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $51.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.53, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.84.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were issued a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.