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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 2.7% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $176.36 and last traded at $172.86. 2,941,706 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 10,057,872 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 1.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $157.28 and a 200 day moving average of $124.91. The firm has a market cap of $56.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other 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 value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.