Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.5% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 2.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $146.98 and last traded at $145.76. 931,236 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 6,883,550 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 6.6% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,932,000 after purchasing an additional 425,126 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Vistra by 51.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP raised its position in shares of Vistra by 33.5% in the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.