BMO Capital Markets Issues Positive Forecast for Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target boosted by BMO Capital Markets from $151.00 to $191.00 in a research note released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $168.20.

Vistra Stock Up 0.8 %

VST opened at $186.79 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.89. Vistra has a 52 week low of $39.13 and a 52 week high of $194.67. The firm has a market cap of $63.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bensler LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 69,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,606,000 after acquiring an additional 5,561 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 201.1% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 3,682 shares during the last quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $339,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after buying an additional 808 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.