Vistra (NYSE:VST) Given "Outperform" Rating at Sanford C. Bernstein

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on Vistra and set a $181 price target, implying approximately 30.9% upside from the stock’s $138.30 opening price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 14 Buy ratings and two Hold ratings; Vistra has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $221.50.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, reporting $0.76 in adjusted EPS versus a $1.61 consensus estimate and $4.02 billion in revenue versus $5.46 billion expected.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reissued by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's price objective points to a potential upside of 30.87% from the company's current price.

VST has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Vistra from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $221.50.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $138.30 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $144.08 and its 200-day moving average is $151.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. Vistra has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $217.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.36 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the firm'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,821 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,234,000 after buying an additional 9,556 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the company's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,979,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Vistra by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company's stock worth $2,672,987,000 after buying an additional 79,972 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.