Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 5.4% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares surged 5.4% on Friday, trading at a high of $202.00 and closing at $201.62, despite a 27% decrease in trading volume compared to the average.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Vistra, with four giving a Strong Buy, and a consensus price target of $229.31, while Wall Street Zen downgraded the rating from hold to sell.
• Vistra recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226, marking an increase from the previous $0.23, leading to an annualized yield of 0.4%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares were up 5.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $202.00 and last traded at $201.62. Approximately 4,777,343 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 6,528,945 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.31.

Vistra Price Performance

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $199.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.33.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. On average, research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 654,583 shares of company stock valued at $134,542,882. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its holdings in Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 275.4% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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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