Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 1.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $144.86 and last traded at $143.06. 4,510,142 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 5,012,655 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VST. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. 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. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $48.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 1.41. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.02.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 98.01%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade 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. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 95.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,875,000. Finally, Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda bought a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $10,543,000. 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.