Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 0.3% Higher - Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $170.37 and last traded at $169.74. 1,085,445 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 8,860,155 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.92. 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 $51.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, 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 own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.