Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $170.34 and last traded at $163.5860. Approximately 7,946,004 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the average session volume of 5,155,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.44.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $55.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $153.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This trade represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,634,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $322,660,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.