Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Climb 1.2% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 1.2% to about $141.84, while trading volume was 17% below the average. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $211.20, although ratings range from “Strong Buy” to “Strong Sell.”
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations: EPS was $0.76 versus the $1.61 consensus, and revenue totaled $4.02 billion compared with estimates of $5.46 billion.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.23, equivalent to an annualized $0.92 payout and a 0.6% yield. CEO James Burke bought shares, while an executive vice president sold stock under a pre-arranged trading plan.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 1.2% on Monday. The stock traded as high as $143.52 and last traded at $141.8380. 4,286,015 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 5,157,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VST shares. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $176.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $47.61 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 1.38. The business's 50-day moving average price is $145.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Vistra's payout ratio is 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Apella Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 46.6% in the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 302 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.