Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 4.3% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 4.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $181.48 and last traded at $178.19. Approximately 3,318,891 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 6,925,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $155.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.60%.

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in Vistra by 57.2% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $854,000 after purchasing an additional 3,611 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $239,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 189.0% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 47,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,074,000 after acquiring an additional 30,988 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,943,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 177.6% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.