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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $221.8750.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Vistra by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Payden & Rygel increased its stake in Vistra by 3,118.2% during the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,875,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of VST stock opened at $140.28 on Thursday. Vistra has a one year low of $132.66 and a one 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.23. The stock has a market cap of $47.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation and retail energy businesses, serving residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers primarily across the United States.

Vistra’s generation portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar and battery energy storage facilities. Through its retail operations, the company provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy plans under brands that include TXU Energy, Dynegy, Homefield Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company was established in 2016 following the separation of Energy Future Holdings’ competitive energy businesses.