Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3.8% Higher – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 3.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $129.00 and last traded at $129.16. Approximately 1,336,139 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 7,479,683 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $43.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.47 and a 200-day moving average of $137.89.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 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.