Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 3.8% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 3.8% to about $139.66 on Tuesday, with trading volume 13% above its average.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $202.43, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Vistra’s latest reported quarter missed earnings and revenue estimates; the company also slightly increased its quarterly dividend to $0.231 per share.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was up 3.8% during trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $142.40 and last traded at $139.6630. 5,847,253 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 5,155,147 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. HSBC began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Vistra from $212.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $202.43.

Vistra Stock Performance

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 $46.88 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59 and a beta of 1.38. The company's 50 day moving average price is $145.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.52.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.2310 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value 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. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $138,267,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.

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