Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.9% Higher – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) were up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $124.68 and last traded at $124.57. Approximately 1,700,911 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 7,710,991 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.23.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Vistra

Vistra Stock Down 9.7 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.02. The company has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group grew its stake in Vistra by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is 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.

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