Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 1.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $158.57 and last traded at $157.8240. 3,252,669 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average session volume of 5,010,583 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Scotiabank raised 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. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.62.

Vistra Stock Up 1.5%

The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market cap of $53.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.44 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have 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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.