Vistra (NYSE:VST) Now Covered by Bank of America

Equities researchers at Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The firm set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America‘s target price points to a potential upside of 7.85% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $191.01 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $156.19 and its 200 day moving average is $120.47. The company has a market capitalization of $64.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a one year low of $39.69 and a one year high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.