Daiwa Capital Markets Upgrades Vistra (NYSE:VST) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra (NYSE:VST) from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating, setting a target price of $250.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.49% from the previous close.
• Vistra recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.01 earnings per share, against a consensus estimate of $1.63, and revenue of $4.25 billion compared to analyst projections of $5.15 billion.
• Analyst ratings for Vistra show a consensus of "Buy" with two analysts issuing a Strong Buy rating and an average target price of $210.71.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Daiwa Capital Markets from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a $250.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets' price target would indicate a potential upside of 19.49% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $210.71.

Vistra Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of VST opened at $209.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $197.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $70.89 billion, a PE ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $88.89 and a fifty-two week high of $217.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. As a group, analysts forecast that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.80, for a total value of $4,481,747.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 222,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,719,732.60. This represents a 8.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 105,402 shares of company stock valued at $21,742,629. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its stake in Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in Vistra by 275.4% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its position in Vistra by 210.0% in the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.

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