Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 5.4% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 5.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $146.90 and last traded at $145.9670. Approximately 5,103,773 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 5,150,580 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market cap of $49.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.20.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.