Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.4% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 1.4% to about $142.44 in midday trading, though volume was 13% below the average. The stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts maintain a broadly bullish outlook, with a consensus “Buy” rating and $230.06 price target. Recent targets range from $187 to $255, despite several analysts lowering their estimates.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.76 versus $1.61 expected and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion forecast. The company declared a $0.23 quarterly dividend, while insiders sold more than $6.7 million of stock over the past quarter.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) were up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $142.77 and last traded at $142.4430. 4,284,016 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 4,946,561 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.06.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $47.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.06 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business's 50 day moving average is $154.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.25.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $746,729,000. Hedge funds and other 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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