Vistra Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 35,126 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 13% compared to the average daily volume of 31,099 call options.

Vistra Stock Up 8.5 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $162.36 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $38.08 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The company has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $143.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.48.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim increased their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, 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 $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.