Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.8% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded up 1.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $166.21 and last traded at $163.0220. 7,482,121 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 6,530,222 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VST. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $237.53.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a PE ratio of 58.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $162.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 144,745 shares of company stock valued at $24,670,254 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $930,080,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $574,499,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 280.6% during the second quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Vistra by 15.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 25.2% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.