Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.3% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 1.3% on Friday . The company traded as high as $150.18 and last traded at $148.3310. Approximately 3,005,984 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 4,955,951 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Scotiabank increased their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Three equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $228.56.

Vistra Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $154.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.56. The firm has a market cap of $49.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. 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 have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fund 1 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $6,536,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at $7,607,000. Advent International L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 11.0% during the second quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 208,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,016,000 after purchasing an additional 20,675 shares during the period. Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.0% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 402,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,840,000 after purchasing an additional 29,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $262,169,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.