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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $236.8667.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th.

Vistra Trading Up 3.7%

VST opened at $151.48 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $51.28 billion, a PE ratio of 69.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. Vistra has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $163.18 and a 200-day moving average of $176.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $930,080,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $322,660,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 280.6% in the second quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 15.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.