Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 0.1% – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $128.26 and last traded at $125.73. 1,063,082 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 6,927,939 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $146.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.30.

Vistra Trading Down 1.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $43.10 billion, a PE ratio of 76.09 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $104.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were given a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.37%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.0% in the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.4% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 2,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 38.6% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% during the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 7.2% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 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.