Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2% Higher – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $140.88 and last traded at $139.66. 1,355,192 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 6,744,831 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Up 2.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $47.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.