Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.7% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 2.7% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $171.35 and last traded at $167.3480. 3,573,618 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 5,119,313 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.31.

Vistra Stock Up 2.7%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.34. 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 $56.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 1.40.

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. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be 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 is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.