Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 3.8% - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares rose 3.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $129.00 and last traded at $129.16. Approximately 1,336,139 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 7,479,683 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. UBS Group upped their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Price Performance

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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.64. The stock has a market cap of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $288,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $787,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 90.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,524,000 after purchasing an additional 10,124 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank raised its position in shares of Vistra by 39.3% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,135 shares of the company's stock worth $2,505,000 after buying an additional 8,013 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.