Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $161.00 to $174.00. The stock had previously closed at $149.66, but opened at $154.36. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra shares last traded at $156.27, with a volume of 1,271,424 shares changing hands.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Insider Activity

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 value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Vistra by 11.5% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 40,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,486,000 after buying an additional 4,180 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 277.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 44,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 32,933 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 98,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,569,000 after purchasing an additional 16,326 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted 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 worth $8,217,000 after purchasing an additional 2,136 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Vistra by 13.4% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 5.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $143.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.77.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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

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.