Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stock Has Average Price Target of $219.33 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is bullish: Seventeen brokerages give Vistra a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 15 buy ratings and an average 12-month price target of $219.33 versus the stock’s $139.94 opening price.
• Recent quarterly results fell short of expectations: Vistra reported earnings of $0.76 per share versus the $1.61 consensus estimate, while revenue of $4.02 billion missed forecasts of $5.46 billion.
• Investor support remains notable: Vistra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share, and institutional investors own approximately 90.88% of the company.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $219.33.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The reported loan would provide substantial financial support for Vistra’s nuclear expansion plans and may improve the long-term earnings outlook. The report is not yet confirmed as finalized. Trump administration reportedly prepares $4B federal loan to expand Vistra’s nuclear capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $202 price target, implying significant upside from recent levels. Siebert Williams Shank initiates coverage of Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reaffirmed its positive view, maintaining an Outperform rating and an $181 target. Analysts have pointed to a wide gap between Vistra’s depressed share price and their longer-term valuation estimates. Bernstein reaffirms Vistra outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention was also supported by news that Peter Thiel’s investment fund added Vistra to its portfolio, with Vistra and Amazon representing 42% of the fund’s reported holdings. Peter Thiel’s fund adds Vistra

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $139.94 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.24. Vistra has a 52 week low of $132.66 and a 52 week high of $217.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott 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 value of $6,747,488.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,672,987,000 after purchasing an additional 79,972 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $574,499,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 1.0% in the 1st 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 bought a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $468,354,000. 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.

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