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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.3333.

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

Vistra Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $146.96 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. Vistra has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.93. The stock has a market cap of $49.55 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Research analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.3 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 20.0% during the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.