Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.1% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $150.50 and last traded at $148.0110. 4,358,217 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 5,143,824 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.38.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $153.64 and a 200 day moving average of $160.29. The firm has a market cap of $49.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is 15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in Vistra by 779.5% in the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 11,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,718,000 after purchasing an additional 10,126 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.4% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $823,000 after buying an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.0% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 20,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,113,000 after buying an additional 1,172 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $4,323,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 191.2% during the 1st quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 3,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 2,409 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.