Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $170.40 and last traded at $169.06. Approximately 1,586,026 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 9,442,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Down 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $56.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50-day moving average is $157.70 and its 200-day moving average is $126.90.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 36.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 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.