Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Increases Dividend to $0.23 Per Share

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of 0.23 per share on Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is a 0.4% increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23.

Vistra has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 6 consecutive years. Vistra has a dividend payout ratio of 11.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Vistra to earn $11.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.91 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 8.1%.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $142.79 on Thursday. Vistra has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.25. The company has a market capitalization of $48.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92 and a beta of 1.40. 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. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $212 from $208 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view provides a counterweight to the recent selloff. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs also assigned Vistra a “buy” rating, while recent comparisons have highlighted the company’s stronger return on equity, margins and earnings momentum versus peers such as NRG Energy and RWE. Vistra Receives a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.23 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The roughly $75 million distribution signals continued shareholder returns, though its yield is modest. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high call-option activity and discussion of rising power demand from data centers indicate investor interest in Vistra’s growth outlook, but these are sentiment indicators rather than changes to fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrades, including a pessimistic forecast from TD Cowen, have triggered a sharp decline in the shares and appear to be the main reason for the current weakness. Vistra Shares Down After Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: New York limits affecting data-center development create uncertainty about the pace of future electricity demand. Valuation remains mixed after Vistra’s powerful long-term rally, reducing the margin of safety for investors.

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.