Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2.4% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $142.00 and last traded at $141.84. Approximately 931,096 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 6,897,465 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $118.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $47.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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 usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 6.6% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,932,000 after acquiring an additional 425,126 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vistra by 51.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after buying an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP lifted its holdings in Vistra by 470.0% during the 1st quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,569,000 after buying an additional 3,108,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 25.1% during the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 2,564,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,632,000 after acquiring an additional 514,722 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

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.