Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 5.6% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 5.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $146.00 and last traded at $145.59. Approximately 1,423,250 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,683,200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject 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 research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, 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. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Up 5.5 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth about $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in shares of Vistra by 9.6% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $842,000. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $17,781,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.