Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $170.86, but opened at $179.30. Vistra shares last traded at $175.94, with a volume of 2,060,156 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.80.

Vistra Trading Up 8.5 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.41. The company has a market capitalization of $63.05 billion, a PE ratio of 34.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Vistra by 0.7% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its stake in Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 3.0% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 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.