Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.9% Higher – Should You Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 2.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $137.76 and last traded at $136.68. 1,538,458 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 6,741,108 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $140.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.73. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 94.3% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $9,878,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $2,179,000. Finally, Blankinship & Foster LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $2,353,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.