Vistra Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors bought 52,781 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 32% compared to the average volume of 39,867 call options.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after buying an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its position in Vistra by 60.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 400.9% in the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 827,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,033,000 after purchasing an additional 661,881 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $155.35 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $155.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.44. Vistra has a 52-week low of $40.57 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

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

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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.