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

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a bullish outlook on Vistra: Seventeen brokerages give the stock an average “Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $228.56.
• Institutional ownership is substantial: Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of Vistra, while several institutions recently initiated or increased positions.
• Vistra shares opened at $148.33, below the analyst consensus target, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equivalent to a 0.6% annualized yield.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Buy" by the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $228.5625.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares during the last quarter. Payden & Rygel raised its position in Vistra by 3,118.2% in the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $29,875,000. Finally, Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $10,543,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Trading Up 1.3%

VST opened at $148.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06 and a beta of 1.41. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $154.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.56. Vistra has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

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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