Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3% Higher – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $120.54 and last traded at $119.16. Approximately 2,174,939 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 6,887,391 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $41.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.62 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $109.27 and a 200 day moving average of $93.37.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $842,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after buying an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $1,675,000. 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.