Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives $149.10 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.10.

VST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $842,000. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 50,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,972,000 after purchasing an additional 5,575 shares during the period. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $159.84 on Friday. Vistra has a 12 month low of $34.89 and a 12 month high of $168.67. The company has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $133.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. This is a boost 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 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.