Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares shot up 3.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $129.00 and last traded at $129.16. 1,336,139 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 7,479,683 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Up 3.6 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $153.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.