Vistra (NYSE:VST) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Saturday . The stock traded as high as $169.19 and last traded at $167.08, with a volume of 9668696 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $160.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $146.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.39. The company has a market capitalization of $56.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 13.4% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $700,000. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 305.4% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 4,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 3,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $462,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.