Vistra (NYSE:VST) Raised to Strong-Buy at Sanford C. Bernstein

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.44.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $158.57 on Tuesday. Vistra has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $153.85 and its 200-day moving average is $159.72. The company has a market capitalization of $53.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 1.40.

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. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,088 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $322,660,000. Amundi increased its position in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

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.