Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts remain bullish on Vistra, with 13 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings among 16 covering firms, producing a consensus rating of “Buy.” The average 1-year target price is about $233.33.
• Vistra recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.87 EPS versus the $1.32 estimate and revenue of $5.64 billion versus $5.22 billion expected. Analysts now expect the company to earn 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 per share, or $0.92 annually, which implies a 0.6% yield. Meanwhile, several insiders sold shares recently, and institutional investors hold the vast majority of the stock.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $233.3333.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Payden & Rygel boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% during the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company's stock worth $5,711,000 after buying an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $29,875,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $746,729,000. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company's stock worth $285,343,000 after buying an additional 192,274 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 7,556.0% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,656 shares of the company's stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 7,556 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $154.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.91 and a beta of 1.43. Vistra has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.24%.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra NYSE: VST is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company's operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra's core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.

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