Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.9% Higher – Time to Buy?

21 Dec 2024, 17:47 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) rose 2.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $137.76 and last traded at $136.68. Approximately 1,538,458 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 6,741,108 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Get Our Latest Report on Vistra

Vistra Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $47.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $36,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

(Get Free Report)

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.