Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Should You Buy?
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemVistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) was up 1.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $165.46 and last traded at $164.2920. Approximately 2,060,109 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 5,709,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.99.
Analyst Ratings Changes
VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America cut their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.40.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Vistra
Vistra Price Performance
The business has a fifty day moving average of $163.46 and a 200-day moving average of $177.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The firm has a market cap of $55.67 billion, a PE ratio of 75.71, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42.
Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.
Vistra Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 41.94%.
Insider Transactions at Vistra
In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,445,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,784,000 after buying an additional 122,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,059,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.