Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 0.6% - Here's What Happened

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) rose 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $147.22 and last traded at $145.71. 1,127,925 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 6,757,596 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on VST shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $139.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.44. The company has a market capitalization of $49.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd 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. Lone Pine Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.6% during the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $587,932,000 after acquiring an additional 425,126 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company's stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company's stock worth $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.