By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report)’s share price was up 6.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $175.00 and last traded at $172.08. Approximately 3,083,196 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 6,685,034 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.13.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on 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 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Vistra
Vistra Stock Performance
The stock has a market cap of $59.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.44, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.
Vistra Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.
Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Activity at Vistra
In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Vistra
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $277,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 116.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 62.3% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $902,000 after buying an additional 2,511 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.
Further Reading
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