Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $120.72 and last traded at $120.98. Approximately 1,581,798 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 9,062,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Up 4.1 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $143.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $43.28 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

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

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 68.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 21,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after acquiring an additional 8,727 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Vistra by 2.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 42,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 184,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,853,000 after buying an additional 5,904 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 35,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,206,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 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.