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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 6.9% during mid-day 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 were traded 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 research firms also recently weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 11.5% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 40,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,486,000 after purchasing an additional 4,180 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 98,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,569,000 after purchasing an additional 16,326 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.3% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 95,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,217,000 after purchasing an additional 2,136 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 13.4% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 110.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. now owns 431,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,125,000 after buying an additional 226,701 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Up 8.5 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $143.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.48. The firm has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.