Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 5.1% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price shot up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $167.40 and last traded at $164.17. 8,478,127 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 61% from the average session volume of 5,275,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a market cap of $54.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $154.40 and its 200 day moving average is $162.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Vistra by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in Vistra by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in Vistra by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.