Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price shot up 3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $120.72 and last traded at $120.98. 1,581,798 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 9,062,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

Vistra Trading Up 1.6 %

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.09. The stock has a market cap of $40.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $222,000. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in Vistra by 49.2% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 17,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,082,000 after buying an additional 5,788 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its position in Vistra by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,190,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,146,000 after buying an additional 77,572 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.