Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 4.2% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 4.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $123.73 and last traded at $119.19. Approximately 4,709,910 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 7,465,228 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Up 8.0 %

The company has a market cap of $41.88 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $742,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $66,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $231,000. Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 18.6% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 40,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,810,000 after purchasing an additional 6,353 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 274.7% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 6,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $732,000 after purchasing an additional 4,524 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.