Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 2.3% during trading on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $99.00 to $137.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra traded as high as $115.57 and last traded at $114.20. 2,848,897 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 6,666,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.63.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $110.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.83. The company has a market cap of $40.90 billion, a PE ratio of 73.03 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th will be given a $0.2195 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.99%.

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.