Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 0.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $145.52 and last traded at $137.41. Approximately 8,955,998 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 9,152,235 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Price Performance

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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.44. The firm has a market cap of $59.98 billion, a PE ratio of 32.89, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

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

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

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 directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $231,000. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Finally, Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $842,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.