Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives $166.17 Average Price Target from Analysts

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $166.17.

Several research analysts have commented on VST shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 616.0% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $129.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market cap of $44.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.20, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a 12 month low of $66.50 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $120.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.73.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

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.