Vistra (NYSE:VST) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $160.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.92.

Vistra Stock Up 3.5%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $166.92 and a 200 day moving average of $149.86. The company has a market capitalization of $66.79 billion, a PE ratio of 30.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were issued a $0.225 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.15%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total value of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,259,158.22. This trade represents a 33.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 88,073 shares in the company, valued at $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock worth $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Vistra by 63.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Vistra by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,190,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,102,000 after acquiring an additional 11,386 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,083,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,166,000 after acquiring an additional 57,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $409,087,000. 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.

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