Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.3% Higher – What’s Next?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 1.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $144.16 and last traded at $142.68. Approximately 649,421 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 6,734,852 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $141.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.77 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third 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 period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.