Vistra (NYSE:VST) Now Covered by Analysts at Raymond James

Raymond James started coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a strong-buy rating and a $216.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $178.00 price target (up previously from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.69.

Vistra Stock Down 0.1%

VST stock opened at $173.68 on Friday. Vistra has a 12-month low of $66.50 and a 12-month high of $199.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market cap of $58.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $143.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.38.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 18th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.15%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.75, for a total value of $8,637,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,084,418. This trade 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 now owns 75,946 shares in the company, valued at $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA grew its position in Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its position in Vistra by 275.4% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2,030.0% in the 4th quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.