Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $150.18 and last traded at $148.3310. Approximately 3,005,984 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 4,955,951 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.56.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $49.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Vistra by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Vistra by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,333,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.