Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 0.4% - Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $170.40 and last traded at $169.06. Approximately 1,586,026 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 9,442,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Up 1.2 %

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 50 day moving average of $158.32 and a 200 day moving average of $128.78. The firm has a market cap of $57.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.27, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock worth $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Vistra by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock worth $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by 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.