Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $112.63, but opened at $122.00. Vistra shares last traded at $123.72, with a volume of 1,660,172 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.17.

Vistra Price Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $41.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock's fifty day moving average is $125.54 and its 200-day moving average is $140.83.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business'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 transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $631,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,466,000. Fulcrum Equity Management raised its position in Vistra by 2.8% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 13,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $351,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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