Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.2% - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) rose 1.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $170.45 and last traded at $167.59. Approximately 5,707,110 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 10,342,942 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Down 3.8 %

The stock has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $160.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.37.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Umpqua Bank increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.