Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.4% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was up 1.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $146.90 and last traded at $144.9370. 3,344,530 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 4,999,084 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.87.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.56.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $154.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.72. The stock has a market cap of $49.15 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.