Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2.4% - Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shot up 2.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $132.28 and last traded at $132.72. 1,471,713 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 7,480,111 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VST. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock 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 market capitalization of $44.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.64.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in Vistra by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company's stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $565,000. 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.