Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 4.8% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra shares jumped 4.8% on Friday to $164.40, trading as high as $165.48 on about 3.44 million shares—roughly 33% below its average daily volume.
• Wall Street consensus is a Buy with a $236.40 target, and recent price-target raises from JPMorgan ($240), BMO ($241) and UBS ($233) point to further upside potential.
• Fundamentals are mixed: Vistra missed quarterly EPS ($2.18 vs. $2.45 est.) and revenue ($4.58B vs. $5.75B), yet it raised the quarterly dividend to $0.228; valuation and balance-sheet metrics include a P/E of 75.8 and debt/equity of 6.01, with ~90.9% institutional ownership.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 4.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $165.48 and last traded at $164.4040. Approximately 3,443,353 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 5,105,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Vistra Trading Up 4.8%

The company has a market cap of $55.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.49. The stock's 50-day moving average is $161.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra's payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock worth $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Vistra by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company's stock worth $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Vistra by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock worth $1,441,112,000 after acquiring an additional 97,424 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 15.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock worth $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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