Visteon (NASDAQ:VC) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Visteon was upgraded to “buy” from “hold” by Wall Street Zen, adding to a generally bullish analyst backdrop.
• Several other firms have recently raised price targets or maintained positive ratings, and the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $135.54.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $1.65 per share, below estimates, while revenue came in at $954 million and rose 2.1% year over year.

Visteon (NASDAQ:VC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Visteon from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Visteon from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Visteon from $106.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Visteon from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Visteon from $139.00 to $137.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.54.

Visteon Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VC opened at $102.45 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $113.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.53. Visteon has a 52 week low of $83.49 and a 52 week high of $129.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.29.

Visteon (NASDAQ:VC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by ($0.31). The firm had revenue of $954.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $901.33 million. Visteon had a return on equity of 15.93% and a net margin of 5.99%.Visteon's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Visteon will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Robert R. Vallance sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total transaction of $233,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 18,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,151,638.50. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Seungkyung Kim sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $71,376.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,275.44. This represents a 60.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 58,901 shares of company stock worth $6,699,220. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Visteon

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Visteon by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 6,862 shares of the company's stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in Visteon by 1.2% during the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 8,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $976,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Visteon by 1.8% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Visteon by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Visteon by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 506 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 99.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Visteon

Visteon Corporation is a global automotive electronics supplier that specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing cockpit electronics and connected vehicle solutions. The company's product portfolio spans digital instrument clusters, infotainment systems, domain controllers and advanced driver interaction technologies. By integrating hardware, software and services, Visteon aims to deliver complete cockpit electronics platforms that enhance driver experience, safety and connectivity.

Founded in 2000 as a spin-off from Ford Motor Company, Visteon has evolved its focus toward next-generation electronics and software-driven vehicle architectures.

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