Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Climb 1.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 1.6% to about $154.26, with trading volume 39% above the daily average.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 15 Buy ratings and two Holds, a “Moderate Buy” consensus, and an average price target of $217.61.
• Vistra increased its quarterly dividend slightly to $0.23 per share, while its latest quarterly results missed expectations on both earnings and revenue.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) traded up 1.6% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $154.46 and last traded at $154.2620. Approximately 7,139,350 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 39% from the average daily volume of 5,134,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $217.61.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $51.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.06 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction 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 $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Premier Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 141.2% in the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 246 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners acquired a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 46.6% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 302 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.

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