Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 3.7% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 3.7% on Monday . The company traded as high as $155.45 and last traded at $153.47. Approximately 4,376,104 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 5,138,985 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $51.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $153.53 and a 200-day moving average of $160.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $322,660,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.