Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 4.9% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 4.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $162.33 and last traded at $161.69. 1,670,876 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 6,875,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 4.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $128.54 and a 200 day moving average of $100.54. The company has a market capitalization of $54.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Vistra by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 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.