Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3.3% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 3.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $164.63 and last traded at $163.8930. 3,823,697 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 5,939,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $163.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.31. The stock has a market cap of $55.53 billion, a PE ratio of 75.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 9,740.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 43,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,068,000 after buying an additional 20,200 shares in the last quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $3,081,000. Finally, MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $134,000. 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.