Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Vistra (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 16,203 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 57% compared to the average volume of 10,296 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Vistra Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:VST opened at $82.17 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. Vistra has a twelve month low of $23.24 and a twelve month high of $84.83. The company has a market cap of $28.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95 and a beta of 1.02.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Vistra will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be given a $0.218 dividend. This represents a $0.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,470,448. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total value of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Vistra by 160.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 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.