Vistra (NYSE:VST) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $144.62 and last traded at $142.83, with a volume of 1531941 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $135.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Vistra Trading Up 4.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $48.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $113.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.