Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was up 2.2% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $170.50 and last traded at $167.35. 4,946,396 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 4% from the average session volume of 5,155,007 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.44.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $56.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. 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. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of Vistra 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,634,227. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.