Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 8.5% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares rose 8.5% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.20 and last traded at $168.34. Approximately 6,350,701 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 9,929,635 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. 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 note on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Up 13.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $155.91 and its 200 day moving average is $121.44.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Vistra by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Finally, Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $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.