Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 3% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price rose 3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $113.50 and last traded at $111.75. Approximately 3,311,903 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 7,449,153 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on VST. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $39.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average is $156.60 and its 200 day moving average is $136.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.