Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 3.5% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 3.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $149.45 and last traded at $149.27. 4,579,455 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 4,889,645 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $50.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day moving average is $149.68 and its 200 day moving average is $154.86.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 31,988 shares of company stock worth $5,178,427 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the last quarter. Payden & Rygel raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $29,875,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.