Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.4% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $132.28 and last traded at $132.72. 1,471,713 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 7,480,111 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $44.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $153.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.93.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.