Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 0.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 0.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $168.68 and last traded at $168.31. 1,614,673 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 9,257,584 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $57.28 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.57.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % 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 Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 18,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares during the last quarter. Hartree Partners LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Hartree Partners LP now owns 143,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,771,000 after acquiring an additional 28,650 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Vistra by 878.1% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 112,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,505,000 after purchasing an additional 100,965 shares during the last quarter. L & S Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 71,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,867,000 after buying an additional 9,666 shares during the period. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 7,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,096,000 after buying an additional 162 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.