Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 6.9% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 6.9% on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $161.00 to $174.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra traded as high as $160.65 and last traded at $159.94. 3,638,958 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 4,690,819 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.66.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, 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 have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Vistra by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 40,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,486,000 after purchasing an additional 4,180 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 277.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 44,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after acquiring an additional 32,933 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 98,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,569,000 after acquiring an additional 16,326 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 95,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,217,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Vistra by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $143.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.77. The firm has a market cap of $54.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Vistra

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.