Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded up 3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $120.54 and last traded at $119.16. 2,174,939 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 6,887,391 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $145.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $43.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.84 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.70%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Castle Hook Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 470.0% during the first quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,569,000 after purchasing an additional 3,108,511 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Vistra by 9,668.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,940,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,779,000 after buying an additional 2,910,015 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Vistra by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,758,000 after buying an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

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.