Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) rose 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $136.73 and last traded at $133.34. 4,223,980 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 5,313,869 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.18.
More Vistra News
Here’s some of the latest news about VST:
- Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a goal of approximately 70% growth in free cash flow without relying on an AI-related build-out. Separately, the earnings-call recap cites stronger cash flow per share through 2030, supported by the Cogentrix acquisition, power contracts, and buybacks. These plans may strengthen the investment case if delivered. Vistra Sees Approximately 70% Growth in Free Cash Flow Vistra Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Cash Flow Plans and Demand Risks
- Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank initiated or reiterated a Buy view on VST, offering additional analyst support. The provided report does not include the firm’s price target or detailed rationale. Vistra Gets a Buy from Scotiabank
- Neutral Sentiment: A comparison in coverage of rival Constellation Energy put Vistra near 13 times forward earnings, below Constellation’s roughly 21 times. That valuation gap may appeal to investors, but the comparison is not a new Vistra-specific catalyst. Can Constellation Energy’s Contracts Power a Stock Rebound?
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. Raymond James Financial set a $176.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Lake Street Capital set a $194.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.48.
View Our Latest Report on Vistra
Vistra Stock Up 1.6%
The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02 and a beta of 1.37.
Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.03 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 13.15% and a return on equity of 123.66%. As a group, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.
Vistra Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2310 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.43%.
Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, November 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Activity at Vistra
In related news, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Vistra by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,672,987,000 after acquiring an additional 79,972 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,616,000 after acquiring an additional 32,982 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $381,938,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Vistra Company Profile
Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company that generates and sells electricity and provides related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its retail businesses offer electricity plans and energy services through brands that include TXU Energy and Ambit Energy. The company owns and operates a diverse generation fleet, including natural gas, nuclear, coal and solar facilities, as well as battery energy storage systems. Its operations serve customers and wholesale power markets across multiple U.S. regions, including Texas and the eastern and central United States.
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