Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $232.40.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Daiwa America raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 41,426 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.32, for a total value of $8,339,882.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 246,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,629,809.04. This represents a 14.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 510,945 shares of company stock valued at $98,584,693 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.1% in the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $165.20 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $189.23. Vistra has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $55.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.64, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

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.