Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $112.63, but opened at $122.00. Vistra shares last traded at $123.72, with a volume of 1,660,172 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.17.

Vistra Trading Up 2.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50-day moving average is $122.87 and its 200 day moving average is $140.74.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 2.6% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake 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 valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,261,000 after acquiring an additional 296,714 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $409,087,000. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP grew its position in Vistra by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company's stock worth $408,677,000 after acquiring an additional 353,949 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.