Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.7% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 2.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $147.35 and last traded at $145.37. Approximately 1,533,297 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 6,786,278 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $49.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $139.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 65.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,965 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $231,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 412.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 3,109 shares during the period. Finally, Petra Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $495,000. 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.