Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 2.2% to about $143.55, with trading volume below the stock’s average daily volume.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $221.88, implying substantial upside.
• Vistra reported quarterly earnings and revenue below expectations, posting $0.76 in EPS versus the $1.61 consensus estimate and $4.02 billion in revenue versus $5.46 billion expected.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was up 2.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $146.11 and last traded at $143.5460. 3,876,573 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 4,874,755 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.88.

Vistra Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's fifty day moving average is $147.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.23.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. This represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,610,496,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock worth $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $574,499,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $516,616,000 after buying an additional 32,982 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation and retail energy businesses, serving residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers primarily across the United States.

Vistra's generation portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar and battery energy storage facilities. Through its retail operations, the company provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy plans under brands that include TXU Energy, Dynegy, Homefield Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company was established in 2016 following the separation of Energy Future Holdings' competitive energy businesses.

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