Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3.6% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 3.6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $132.63 and last traded at $129.78. 3,193,719 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 6,938,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.29.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.22.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $45.73 billion, a PE ratio of 97.58 and a beta of 1.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a dividend of $0.2195 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 38.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 557 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 4.9% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Vistra by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 36,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,539,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, IAM Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.8% during the third quarter. IAM Advisory LLC now owns 10,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

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.