Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.5% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 1.5% during trading on Monday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $158.57 and last traded at $157.8240. 3,252,669 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 5,010,583 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.44.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Vistra from “hold” to “strong-buy”, which can be a direct catalyst for buying interest and helps explain the stock’s strength. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted Vistra as a solid growth stock, arguing the company could deliver strong returns thanks to its growth profile and business fundamentals. Is Vistra (VST) a Solid Growth Stock? 3 Reasons to Think “Yes”
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Vistra has been outpacing the broader market, reinforcing momentum in the shares and supporting investor confidence. Vistra Corp. (VST) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces discussed the stock’s bullish Wall Street rating profile, including an average brokerage recommendation around Buy, but also warned that analyst sentiment can be an imperfect indicator. Should You Invest in Vistra (VST) Based on Bullish Wall Street Views?

Institutional Trading of Vistra

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

Vistra Trading Up 3.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $56.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $154.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.37.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.41%.

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.