Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $169.00 at Morgan Stanley

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $169.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on VST. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $154.14 on Friday. Vistra has a 12 month low of $34.70 and a 12 month high of $168.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank boosted its stake in Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 4.2% in the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. 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.