Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 4.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares shot up 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $162.33 and last traded at $161.69. 1,670,876 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 6,875,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $129.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.03. The company has a market cap of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $26,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.