Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 2.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $140.26 and last traded at $139.0910. 3,885,216 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 4,935,227 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VST. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $152.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.68. The firm has a market cap of $46.83 billion, a PE ratio of 23.56 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,914,427. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% during the first quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,333,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

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.