Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $150.50 and last traded at $148.0110. Approximately 4,358,217 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 5,143,824 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $49.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.29.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP lifted its position in Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.