Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Short Interest Up 35.0% in May

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,980,000 shares, a growth of 35.0% from the April 30th total of 6,650,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,100,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Vistra Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:VST traded down $3.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $172.88. 5,284,925 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,453,145. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $133.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vistra has a twelve month low of $66.50 and a twelve month high of $199.84. The company has a market cap of $58.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $178.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.08.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. The trade was a 33.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.80, for a total transaction of $3,136,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 325,192 shares in the company, valued at $50,990,105.60. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 219,000 shares of company stock valued at $34,532,240 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $286,414,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $209,149,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.