Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 5.1% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price rose 5.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $167.40 and last traded at $164.17. Approximately 8,478,127 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 61% from the average daily volume of 5,275,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Trading Up 5.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $55.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $154.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.