Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was up 1.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $144.16 and last traded at $143.36. Approximately 1,642,685 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 6,739,240 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 1.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $48.77 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $141.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.48.

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 given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank grew its stake in Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.