Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 9.6%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 9.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $89.74 and last traded at $89.57. Approximately 3,891,118 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 6,027,164 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $31.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62 and a beta of 1.02.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). The company had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.218 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.