Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.9% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 1.9% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $124.68 and last traded at $124.57. 1,700,911 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 7,710,991 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.35.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents 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 insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.