Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 2.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $158.55 and last traded at $158.0630. 4,308,766 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 5,724,498 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.7020.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $153.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.72. The firm has a market cap of $53.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total transaction of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP grew its stake in Vistra by 20.0% during the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.