Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $170.86, but opened at $179.30. Vistra shares last traded at $175.94, with a volume of 2,060,156 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.20.

Vistra Trading Up 0.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $63.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.89.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at $30,000. 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.