Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment: Multiple firms have raised ratings and targets (Jefferies, UBS, JPMorgan, Scotiabank), and MarketBeat shows a consensus Buy rating with an average target of $236.87.
• Recent results and risk: Vistra missed Q4 estimates—EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 expected and revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B—and carries high leverage (debt-to-equity ~6.01), which may temper upside expectations.
• Share action and payout: Shares jumped about 2.2% to roughly $158 mid-day on lower volume, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 (annualized $0.91, yield ~0.6%).

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shot up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $160.72 and last traded at $158.2090. 4,451,103 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 5,335,097 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, March 27th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $159.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The company has a market cap of $53.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.49.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra NYSE: VST is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company's operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra's core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.