Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 6.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 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. 3,638,958 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 4,690,819 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.66.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the 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 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. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 40,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,486,000 after acquiring an additional 4,180 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 20.0% during the second 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 during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.3% during 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 period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $687,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 110.5% in the 2nd 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 during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $143.91 and a 200 day moving average of $111.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. 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 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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