Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $226.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This represents 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 have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Vistra by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,333,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $138.88 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $153.96 and a 200-day moving average of $155.97. The company has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%.The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

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.