Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.7% After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 2.7% during trading on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $164.46 and last traded at $162.2230. 3,717,096 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 4,996,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.99.

VST has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC lifted 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 stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised 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 during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $155.05 and a 200 day moving average of $158.41. The company has a market capitalization of $56.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08 and a beta of 1.40. 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 posted 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 return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

About Vistra

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.