Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.7% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $174.63 and last traded at $173.80. 1,293,575 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 6,729,961 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on VST. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $58.21 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $151.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.79.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $64,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 9.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 42,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,656,000 after acquiring an additional 3,747 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 57.2% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $854,000 after acquiring an additional 3,611 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 31,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,708,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 862,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,939,000 after acquiring an additional 294,494 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.