Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 3% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $120.54 and last traded at $119.16. 2,174,939 shares traded 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

VST has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets upped 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, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $109.27 and a 200 day moving average of $93.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.69 billion, a PE ratio of 87.62 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $842,000. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after purchasing an additional 7,747 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $1,185,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in Vistra in the first quarter valued at $1,675,000. 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.