Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $248.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $227.00 to $248.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on VST. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Melius initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.20.

Vistra Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $207.27 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $199.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company has a market capitalization of $70.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.06, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 14.35%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total transaction of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. The trade was a 16.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 276,319 shares of company stock valued at $57,544,816 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CacheTech Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $388,000. Adams Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $388,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 25.5% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares in the last quarter. WT Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $262,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.