Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 5.6% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 5.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $146.00 and last traded at $145.59. Approximately 1,423,250 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,683,200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 5.5 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.49. The stock has a market cap of $49.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Vistra by 9.6% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $842,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after buying an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,781,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.