Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 8.5% Higher - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 8.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.20 and last traded at $168.34. 6,350,701 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 9,929,635 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VST. 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $155.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.44. The firm has a market cap of $59.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, 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 directly owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% in the third 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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 during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company's stock worth $251,898,000 after buying an additional 797,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 400.9% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 827,000 shares of the company's stock worth $98,033,000 after buying an additional 661,881 shares during 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.

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