Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $114.41, but opened at $117.00. Vistra shares last traded at $117.00, with a volume of 660,891 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Vistra Price Performance

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 50-day simple moving average of $158.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.