Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 3.3% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 3.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $161.48 and last traded at $158.5270. Approximately 4,633,471 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 5,126,535 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $233.33.

Vistra Trading Up 3.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $53.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.55 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $153.57 and a 200-day moving average of $159.98.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 10,088 shares of company stock worth $1,634,227 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.