Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 1.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.06 and last traded at $168.84. Approximately 2,533,501 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 4,968,817 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.74.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Vistra from hold to strong buy, which supports the view that analysts see improved fundamentals and a more favorable setup for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts’ consensus price target suggests about 34% upside from current levels, reinforcing bullish expectations around Vistra’s earnings outlook and valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention has increased around Vistra on Zacks, and a fresh article argues the stock may still be undervalued relative to power-demand optimism, which can attract momentum buyers ahead of the company’s August 7 earnings report. Article: Vistra (VST) Could Be 26% Below Fair Value On Power Demand Optimism

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.62.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northside Capital Management LLC increased its position in Vistra by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 139,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,174,000 after buying an additional 6,582 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $414,000. Tema ETFs LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 10.5% during the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $2,812,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 73.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.