Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.4% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Vistra shares popped 2.4% intraday to as high as $156.34 on Wednesday, with trading volume about 32% below the stock's average session volume.
• Analysts are broadly positive — the consensus rating is Buy with an average price target of $236.87, and firms like BMO ($241), Morgan Stanley ($215) and Goldman Sachs (upgraded to buy, $205) have high targets.
• Operationally, Vistra missed the quarter (EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 est.; revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B) but raised its quarterly dividend to $0.228 (annualized $0.91, 0.6% yield) and reported a very high ROE (81.09%).

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shot up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $156.34 and last traded at $153.9860. 3,775,231 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average session volume of 5,562,018 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Up 2.4%

The business's fifty day simple moving average is $161.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $174.98. The company has a market cap of $52.13 billion, a PE ratio of 70.96, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.42. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the 3rd 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 boosted its holdings in Vistra by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company's stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd 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. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.0% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.