Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives $201.43 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 16 analysts, with the average 12-month price target set at $201.43.
• The company has recently seen insider selling, with two directors selling a combined total of 75,000 shares, resulting in significant reductions of their holdings.
• Vistra announced an increase in its quarterly dividend, now set at $0.226 per share, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $201.4286.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th.

Vistra Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $2.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $190.74. 264,676 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,888,804. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra has a 52 week low of $72.90 and a 52 week high of $216.85. The company has a market cap of $64.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $195.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.63.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released 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). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total transaction of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 75,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. This represents a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $622,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in Vistra by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 66,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,178,000 after buying an additional 35,037 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,940,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.