Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the four analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.50.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total value of $5,114,019.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $68.65 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26. Vistra has a one year low of $22.67 and a one year high of $75.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $60.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.74.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The company had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Vistra will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 24.02%.

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.