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

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $168.20.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $186.79 on Friday. Vistra has a 1 year low of $39.13 and a 1 year high of $194.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50-day moving average is $154.15 and its 200 day moving average is $118.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank grew its stake in Vistra by 2.2% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 3.0% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.