Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $170.50 and last traded at $167.35. 4,946,396 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 5,155,007 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Vistra Trading Up 2.2%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.54. The company has a market cap of $56.43 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03 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 posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. As a group, analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, 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 transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,088 shares of company stock worth $5,634,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors 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.