Vistra (NYSE:VST) Reaches New 1-Year High at $76.12

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $76.12 and last traded at $75.95, with a volume of 1360342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $26.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $63.63 and its 200 day moving average is $46.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a $0.215 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is 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.