Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 4.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 4.9% on Friday . The company traded as high as $157.57 and last traded at $156.40. Approximately 7,820,868 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 49% from the average daily volume of 5,240,676 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $154.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.12. 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 firm has a market cap of $52.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $322,660,000. Amundi grew its holdings in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,425,000 after acquiring an additional 775,104 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.