Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Vistra a consensus "Buy" rating (16 analysts: 13 buys, 2 strong buys, 1 hold) with an average 12‑month price target of $233.93.
• Shares trade around $154.07, well below the analyst consensus target (12‑month high/low: $219.82/$133.73); valuation shows a high P/E of 71.0 and substantial leverage with a debt‑to‑equity of 6.01.
• Vistra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.229 ($0.92 annualized, ~0.6% yield; ~41.9% payout ratio); an EVP sold 10,000 shares and institutional investors own about 90.88% of the stock.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $233.9333.

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $154.07 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $159.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The company has a market cap of $52.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.43. Vistra has a twelve month low of $133.73 and a twelve month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra will post 9.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.229 per share. 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 an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,520 shares of the company's stock worth $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 107.5% in the 1st quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 217,838 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,748,000 after buying an additional 112,838 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Vistra by 9.1% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,987 shares of the company's stock worth $1,501,000 after buying an additional 832 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company's stock worth $516,616,000 after buying an additional 32,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc. CT purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth approximately $72,123,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

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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