Vistra (NYSE:VST) Sets New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $204.97 and last traded at $200.56, with a volume of 1164296 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $189.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.92.

Vistra Stock Down 1.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.69. The company has a market capitalization of $65.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.36, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.26.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were given a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. This represents a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Banque Transatlantique SA increased its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.