Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 4.8% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded up 4.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $165.48 and last traded at $164.4040. 3,443,353 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 5,105,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.40.

Vistra Stock Up 4.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $55.66 billion, a PE ratio of 75.76, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $161.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.