Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 2% – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price shot up 2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $140.88 and last traded at $139.66. 1,355,192 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 6,744,831 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Trading Up 2.0 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $140.84 and a 200 day moving average of $107.45. 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 company has a market cap of $47.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $1,429,000. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in Vistra by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 96,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,288,000 after acquiring an additional 13,900 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Vistra by 143.5% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 164,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,137,000 after purchasing an additional 96,889 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 52.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 60,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,228,000 after purchasing an additional 21,002 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.