Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 1.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $163.50 and last traded at $161.9050. Approximately 2,747,740 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 5,782,100 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $163.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.23.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $1,445,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 49.2% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,784,000 after buying an additional 122,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $2,059,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.