Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $149.38 and last traded at $146.39. Approximately 2,630,313 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 4,984,281 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.56.

Vistra Stock Up 1.0%

The business’s 50 day moving average is $154.45 and its 200-day moving average is $156.82. 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 $49.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Madison Wealth Partners Inc grew its position in Vistra by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 1,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $1,460,000. Korea Investment CORP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 4.6% in the second quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 483,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,661,000 after purchasing an additional 21,370 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,646.5% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 189,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,002,000 after acquiring an additional 178,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 37.8% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 2,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is 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.