Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives $178.69 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with ten analysts issuing a buy rating and a price target averaging $178.69.
• The company recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226, representing an annualized yield of 0.4%.
• Insider activity at Vistra indicates significant share sales, with corporate insiders selling over 294,000 shares worth approximately $47.46 million in the last 90 days.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.6923.

A number of brokerages have commented on VST. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $192.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total transaction of $8,637,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 255,192 shares in the company, valued at $44,084,418. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were 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 owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $286,414,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $209,149,000. Palidye Holdings Caymans Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $149,451,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,341.6% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 865,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,755,000 after acquiring an additional 830,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D1 Capital Partners L.P. bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $92,649,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $4.54 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $205.39. The stock had a trading volume of 8,939,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,335,735. The company has a market cap of $69.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.29, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra has a 12 month low of $72.90 and a 12 month high of $216.85. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $187.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.15%.

Vistra Company Profile

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.