Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2.7% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra stock rose 2.7% on Tuesday, trading as high as $164.46 before settling near $162.22. Volume was lighter than usual at about 3.7 million shares, below its average session volume.
• Recent analyst commentary remained broadly positive, with multiple firms maintaining Buy/Overweight ratings and consensus price target around $230.62. Even after JPMorgan trimmed its target, overall sentiment stayed constructive.
• Vistra reported a strong last quarter, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and it also raised its dividend to an annualized $0.92 per share. However, the article also noted recent insider selling by directors.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 2.7% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $164.46 and last traded at $162.2230. Approximately 3,717,096 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 4,996,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.62.

Vistra Stock Up 2.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $54.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17 and a beta of 1.40. The firm's fifty day moving average is $154.26 and its 200-day moving average is $158.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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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