Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 4.2% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was up 4.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $123.73 and last traded at $119.19. Approximately 4,709,910 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 7,465,228 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Up 2.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.40. The firm has a market cap of $41.13 billion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP raised its stake in Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.