Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 6.3% Higher - Still a Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) traded up 6.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $164.25 and last traded at $163.86. 2,118,558 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 6,822,158 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.16.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $54.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $135.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.22. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Vistra's payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra 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 owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 588.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 91,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,379,000 after purchasing an additional 78,283 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 63.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 25,177 shares of the company's stock worth $1,754,000 after purchasing an additional 9,801 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.8% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 18,556 shares of the company's stock worth $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,342 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 141.9% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 975 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 45.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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