Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 6.1% Higher - Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 6.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $175.00 and last traded at $172.08. 3,083,196 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 6,685,034 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $57.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction 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. The trade was 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 valued at $55,087,314. Company 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 the stock. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 2,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 105 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.