Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3.7% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 3.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $160.00 and last traded at $155.24. 6,235,605 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 9,680,689 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective 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. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Up 4.6 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.20. The company has a market capitalization of $53.26 billion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 20,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,804,000 after purchasing an additional 5,165 shares during the period. McBroom & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,152,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 52.7% during the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 1,786 shares in the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.