Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.8% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Vistra Corp.'s stock has risen by 2.8%, with the last traded price being $201.33, following a previous close of $195.92.
• Analysts have increased their price targets, with Scotiabank setting a target of $256.00 and Morgan Stanley raising theirs from $207.00 to $223.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Buy."
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226, increasing from the previous quarter's $0.23, leading to an annualized yield of 0.4%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 2.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $204.93 and last traded at $201.33. 5,377,527 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 6,726,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $195.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $218.20.

Vistra Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $68.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.34. The firm's fifty day moving average is $200.20 and its 200-day moving average is $168.77.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,378 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.94, for a total value of $4,317,073.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,286,291.04. The trade was a 7.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 319,073 shares of company stock valued at $66,162,313 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

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

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.

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