Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) gapped up prior to trading on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $161.00 to $174.00. The stock had previously closed at $149.66, but opened at $154.36. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra shares last traded at $156.27, with a volume of 1,271,424 shares traded.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $842,000. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 12.4% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares during the period. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $17,781,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Up 8.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $143.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.31.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.