Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $144.86 and last traded at $143.06. Approximately 4,510,142 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 5,012,655 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Wednesday. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.56.

Vistra Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $49.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $154.45 and its 200 day moving average is $156.82.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Vistra by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after buying an additional 86,393 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel boosted its position in Vistra by 3,118.2% in the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $29,875,000. Finally, Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $10,543,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.