Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.8% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) shares rose by 2.8% to $207.27, with a trading volume significantly below the average.
• Analysts have projections ranging the stock's target price between $216.00 and $295.00, with a consensus rating of "Buy."
• The company announced an increased quarterly dividend of $0.226, reflecting a yield of 0.4%, set to be distributed on September 30th.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shot up 2.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $207.50 and last traded at $207.27. 3,092,470 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 6,734,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $201.62.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $218.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $70.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.33. The firm's fifty day moving average is $199.60 and its 200 day moving average is $166.77.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,360 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.21, for a total transaction of $4,490,085.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 238,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,139,289.20. The trade was a 8.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 233,569 shares of company stock worth $48,915,316 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 210.0% in the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 19,300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 65.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 214 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.