Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.5% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 2.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $140.26 and last traded at $139.0910. Approximately 3,885,216 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 4,935,227 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Up 2.5%

The company’s 50 day moving average is $153.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.72. The company has a market capitalization of $46.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 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.