Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.6% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 1.6% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $154.46 and last traded at $154.2620. 7,139,350 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 39% from the average daily volume of 5,134,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.61.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $144.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $51.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.06 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in Vistra by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,672,987,000 after buying an additional 79,972 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,616,000 after buying an additional 32,982 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $381,938,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.