Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives $149.10 Consensus PT from Analysts

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $149.10.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Vistra by 17.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 640,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,645,000 after acquiring an additional 94,842 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,675,000. PGGM Investments raised its position in shares of Vistra by 559.2% in the first quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 41,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,879,000 after buying an additional 35,065 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Vistra by 588.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 91,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,379,000 after buying an additional 78,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 63.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 25,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,754,000 after buying an additional 9,801 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $154.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.16. Vistra has a 12 month low of $35.99 and a 12 month high of $168.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.80.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Vistra Company Profile

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.