Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 3.3%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price shot up 3.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $72.48 and last traded at $72.01. 482,690 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 4,945,133 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $63.50.

Vistra Trading Down 0.9 %

The company has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $59.65 and its 200-day moving average is $44.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were issued a $0.215 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 24.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

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.