Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $167.47, but opened at $175.00. Vistra shares last traded at $173.97, with a volume of 2,894,042 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.08.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $134.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.15%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total transaction of $16,953,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 218,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,259,158.22. The trade was a 33.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 219,000 shares of company stock valued at $34,532,240 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Vistra by 355.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 5,002 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $254,000. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,058 shares of the company's stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 195,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,015,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Finally, C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $1,177,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.