Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.6% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price rose 2.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.97 and last traded at $167.62. Approximately 4,940,697 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 5,991,563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Down 5.2%

The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The firm has a market cap of $53.79 billion, a PE ratio of 73.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.50.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $74,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Vistra by 9,740.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 43,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,068,000 after purchasing an additional 20,200 shares during the last quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $3,081,000. Finally, MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $134,000. 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.