Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.3% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Shares rose 2.3% intraday to about $155.77 (high $160.20) and analysts have a consensus "Buy" rating with a consensus price target of $236.87 after several firms adjusted targets/upgrades.
• Vistra missed quarterly estimates (EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 consensus; revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B) while showing a low net margin (5.32%), very high ROE (81.09%) and heavy leverage (debt/equity 6.01).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 ($0.91 annual, ~0.6% yield) and an EVP sold 10,000 shares; institutional ownership remains very high at about 90.9%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 2.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $160.20 and last traded at $155.7740. 4,549,056 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 5,608,911 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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 objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.87.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The firm has a market cap of $52.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.79, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $161.89 and a 200 day moving average of $176.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.228 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company's stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock worth $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, MAI Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 40.3% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,261 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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