Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $245.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $236.00 to $245.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.21.

Vistra Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $192.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.47, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $199.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.88%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is 32.49%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ELCO Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $499,000. Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $547,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,021,000 after acquiring an additional 57,551 shares during the period. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in Vistra by 55.3% in the second quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 6,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after buying an additional 2,220 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.