Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.7% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $164.46 and last traded at $162.2230. Approximately 3,717,096 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 4,996,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.99.

VST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Three equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.62.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 0.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $56.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $155.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.41. 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 data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.41%.

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.