Brokerages Set Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Price Target at $151.50

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $151.50.

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Down 1.7 %

VST opened at $171.10 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.73. The company has a market cap of $58.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a one year low of $39.08 and a one year high of $178.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

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.