Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 0.3% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $170.37 and last traded at $169.74. 1,085,445 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 8,860,155 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on VST. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 0.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $57.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $159.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.88. 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 declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,681,000 after acquiring an additional 7,753 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 17.8% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 625,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,123,000 after purchasing an additional 94,268 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 43.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 235,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,880,000 after purchasing an additional 70,780 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.