Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 1.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $144.16 and last traded at $142.68. 649,421 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 6,734,852 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $141.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.