Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 1.1% After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shot up 1.1% during trading on Wednesday after Scotiabank raised their price target on the stock from $293.00 to $298.00. Scotiabank currently has a sector outperform rating on the stock. Vistra traded as high as $166.94 and last traded at $160.2380. 5,497,729 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 5,012,522 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.43.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.62.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc reiterated its Buy rating on Vistra, adding to recent bullish sentiment from Wall Street. KeyBanc Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Vistra Corp (VST)
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target on Vistra to $298 from $293 and kept a sector outperform rating, signaling expectations for meaningful upside. Scotiabank price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: News that Vistra secured PJM capacity improved visibility into future revenue, which is important for a power generator with a large capital base. Vistra Secures PJM Capacity, Bolstering Future Revenue Visibility
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports point to stronger demand from data centers and rising capital investment in nuclear, solar, storage, and gas assets, which could support long-term earnings growth and grid reliability. Why Is Vistra (NYSE:VST) Benefiting From Data Center Demand? Can Increased Capital Investments Boost VST Stock’s Performance?
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was also mentioned on CNBC’s Final Trades and in momentum-focused market coverage, which can add attention but does not change fundamentals by itself. Meta, Vistra, T Rowe Price and a health care stock on CNBC’s Final Trades
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent “rises higher than market” and momentum articles mainly reflect the stock’s recent strength rather than a new catalyst. Vistra Corp. (VST) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Vistra by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after acquiring an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Vistra by 0.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,872,000 after purchasing an additional 35,258 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $154.00 and a 200-day moving average of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.