Vistra (NYSE:VST) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $200.25 and last traded at $198.28, with a volume of 2983345 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $190.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.92.

Vistra Stock Up 0.4%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.57. The company has a market cap of $66.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.89, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were given a $0.225 dividend. 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 0.46%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $48,136,200. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock worth $492,102,000 after acquiring an additional 11,386 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock worth $362,166,000 after acquiring an additional 57,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.