Vistra Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 16,203 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 57% compared to the average daily volume of 10,296 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,069,030.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,069,030.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $83.25. 8,043,024 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,137,610. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25 and a beta of 1.02. Vistra has a one year low of $23.24 and a one year high of $83.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average is $67.48 and its 200 day moving average is $48.64.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.218 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Vistra's payout ratio is 24.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on VST shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $67.20.

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.