Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2.2% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 2.2% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $170.50 and last traded at $167.35. Approximately 4,946,396 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average session volume of 5,155,007 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.31.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.43. The company has a market cap of $54.83 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24 and a beta of 1.40. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $746,729,000. Payden & Rygel lifted its stake in Vistra by 3,118.2% in the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after acquiring an additional 34,300 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,875,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,343,000 after purchasing an additional 192,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,479,000 after purchasing an additional 48,378 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.