Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.8% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 1.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $144.86 and last traded at $143.06. Approximately 4,510,142 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 5,012,655 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on VST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $228.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market cap of $48.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 98.01%. Analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total transaction of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Amplify Investments LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 17.6% in the second quarter. Amplify Investments LLC now owns 1,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $551,000. Danske Bank A S grew its holdings in Vistra by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 9,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,501,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.