Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 4.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 4.1% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $157.24 and last traded at $157.24. Approximately 3,352,128 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 5,075,889 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.05.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.31.

Vistra Trading Up 4.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $53.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.34 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.86. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in Vistra by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Vistra by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 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.