Vistra (NYSE:VST) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Siebert Williams Shank

Key Points

• Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage of Vistra with a “buy” rating and a $202 price target, implying approximately 48.65% upside from the prior close. Analysts broadly remain bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $219.33 target.
• Vistra shares fell 2.8% to $135.89, while the company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations: adjusted earnings were $0.76 per share versus a $1.61 consensus, and revenue was $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected.
• Institutional investors own 90.88% of Vistra, with BlackRock recently taking a stake valued at about $4.61 billion. Insider activity was mixed, as an executive vice president sold shares while CEO James Burke purchased approximately $604,000 of stock.

Equities research analysts at Siebert Williams Shank began coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank's target price indicates a potential upside of 48.65% from the stock's previous close.

VST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $219.33.

Vistra Stock Down 2.8%

NYSE VST traded down $3.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $135.89. 787,456 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,858,813. Vistra has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $217.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a market capitalization of $45.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. This represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vistra by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company's stock worth $2,672,987,000 after purchasing an additional 79,972 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $574,499,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company's stock worth $516,616,000 after buying an additional 32,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth $468,354,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.

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