Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 3% in mid-day trading, with volume running well above average as the stock briefly hit $170.34 before last trading near $163.59.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on the company, with multiple firms reiterating buy/outperform ratings and a consensus price target of $230.44.
• Vistra’s latest earnings beat expectations, and the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, signaling continued financial strength despite recent insider selling.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $170.34 and last traded at $163.5860. 7,946,004 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the average daily volume of 5,155,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $55.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $153.85 and a 200 day moving average of $159.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid 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 presently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,088 shares of company stock worth $5,634,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised 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 worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in Vistra by 7.1% during the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company's stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in Vistra by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Vistra by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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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