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

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $233.20.

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 17th.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $168.36 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $184.63 and its 200 day moving average is $190.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.39. Vistra has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 763,830 shares of company stock worth $150,539,816. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 3.1% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in shares of Vistra by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.