Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Rated Buy in New Coverage at HSBC

HSBC began coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research report released on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group set a $176.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank upped their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.20.

Vistra Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:VST opened at $140.29 on Thursday. 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 has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $203.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $145.23 and a 200 day moving average of $151.17. The firm has a market cap of $47.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.23 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capstone Capital Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $450,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Oak Grove Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.8% in the third quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 224,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,061,000 after buying an additional 25,400 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 41.5% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avaii Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 18.6% in the third quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $190 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. Siebert Williams Shank also maintained its Buy rating. HSBC initiates coverage of Vistra at buy
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra’s history of exceeding analyst earnings estimates, combined with favorable estimate trends and other earnings-related indicators, suggests the company may produce another quarterly earnings beat. A positive surprise could help stabilize the stock after its recent weakness. Can Vistra Keep the Earnings Surprise Streak Alive?
• Neutral Sentiment: Texas regulators have paused or are auditing some data-center hookups to the ERCOT grid. The review could delay the timing of AI-related electricity demand for Vistra, although long-term growth prospects from data-center power consumption remain intact. Texas Paused Data Center Hookups
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target for Vistra, adding to concerns about valuation and near-term upside. The target reduction likely contributed to the recent pressure on the shares. Vistra Stock Price Target Cut by Morgan Stanley

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.