Vistra (NYSE:VST) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Vistra Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average is $169.44 and its 200-day moving average is $150.57. The company has a market capitalization of $66.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 18th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $8,792,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,136,200. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,259,158.22. This trade represents a 33.10% 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 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,281,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 41.2% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 30,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,144,000 after acquiring an additional 8,766 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Vistra by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 71,665 shares of the company's stock worth $9,880,000 after buying an additional 5,986 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $229,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in Vistra by 50.7% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 14,528 shares of the company's stock worth $2,003,000 after buying an additional 4,888 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.