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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 6.9% during trading 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. Approximately 3,638,958 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 4,690,819 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.66.

Several other brokerages have also commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.50.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 6.9 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $143.14 and a 200 day moving average of $110.77. 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 market capitalization of $54.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.