Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 0.6% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 0.6% on Monday . The company traded as high as $147.22 and last traded at $145.71. 1,127,925 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 6,757,596 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $49.45 billion, a PE ratio of 27.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.