Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3.7% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Shares jumped 3.7% to about $160.98 on Monday, with trading volume roughly 17% below the stock's daily average.
• Vistra missed the quarter — $2.18 EPS vs. $2.45 expected and revenue of $4.58B vs. $5.75B estimates — yet the consensus remains positive: an average analyst rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.93.
• The company modestly raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 (annualized $0.92, yield ~0.6%), but it carries high leverage and valuation metrics (debt-to-equity 6.01, P/E 74.18), which may heighten investor risk considerations.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 3.7% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $162.38 and last traded at $160.98. Approximately 4,188,493 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 5,051,448 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $233.93.

Vistra Trading Up 3.7%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.99 and a 200-day moving average of $167.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $54.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after purchasing an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Vistra by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after purchasing an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $746,729,000. 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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