Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 0.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $172.77 and last traded at $168.40. Approximately 1,677,839 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 8,974,882 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Up 0.9 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $159.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.88. 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 stock has a market cap of $57.57 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. State Street Corp raised 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 acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Vistra by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Vistra by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,261,000 after acquiring an additional 296,714 shares during the period. 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.