Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 4.9% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was up 4.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $162.33 and last traded at $161.69. Approximately 1,670,876 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 6,875,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.03. The company has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors 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 is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

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.