Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $161.00 to $174.00. The stock had previously closed at $149.66, but opened at $154.36. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra shares last traded at $156.27, with a volume of 1,271,424 shares trading hands.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Guggenheim increased their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $488,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $2,639,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,806 shares of the company's stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Vistra by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 321 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 94.3% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,853 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Up 8.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company's 50 day moving average is $143.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.31.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.