Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares rose 1.4% to about $164.29 midday (high $165.46) on sharply lower volume (2.06M vs. a 5.71M average), and Wall Street consensus remains Buy with a $236.40 average target after multiple analysts raised price targets.
• Vistra missed Q4 estimates, reporting $2.18 EPS vs. $2.45 expected and $4.58B revenue vs. $5.75B expected, while showing a high P/E of 75.7 and heavy leverage (debt/equity 6.01).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 ($0.91 annualized, a 0.6% yield) and an EVP sold 10,000 shares on March 9; insiders own about 1.42% of the stock.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $165.46 and last traded at $164.2920. Approximately 2,060,109 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 5,709,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Vistra Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a market cap of $55.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.71, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $163.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.98.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in Vistra by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company's stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.

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