Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $114.41, but opened at $117.00. Vistra shares last traded at $117.00, with a volume of 660,891 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $162.83.

Vistra Price Performance

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 capitalization of $38.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company's fifty day moving average is $158.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.25.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IronOak Wealth LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $862,000. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $562,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $216,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $17,023,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 7,702 shares of the company's stock worth $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,849 shares in the last quarter. 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.