Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.4% Higher – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded up 1.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $154.16 and last traded at $153.7770. 2,185,581 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 5,420,049 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9%

The stock has a market cap of $51.80 billion, a PE ratio of 70.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $160.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th were paid a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate 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 VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Archer Investment Corp raised its stake in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.