Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 0.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $170.40 and last traded at $169.06. Approximately 1,586,026 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 9,442,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten 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 $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $56.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.06, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $157.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.90.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 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.