Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 1.8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $116.20 and last traded at $114.75. Approximately 1,208,381 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 7,867,631 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.69.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Vistra by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co increased its holdings in Vistra by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group raised its position in Vistra by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.