Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stock Has Average Price Target of $202.43

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $202.43.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VST. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $189.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $212.00 to $198.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vistra from $227.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra completed its acquisition of Cogentrix Energy, adding 10 modern natural-gas facilities with approximately 5,500 megawatts of capacity. The deal expands Vistra’s generation fleet to nearly 50,000 MW and could strengthen its ability to serve power demand in key U.S. markets. Vistra Completes Acquisition of Cogentrix Energy
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly common-stock dividend of $0.231 per share, a slight increase from the prior payment. The dividend implies an annualized payout of approximately $0.92 per share, providing modest shareholder income. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed. Wells Fargo reportedly reduced its price expectations, while another report cited an average price target of $202.43 and potential upside from current levels. The conflicting outlook may be contributing to volatility. Wells Fargo Lowers Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation comparison with Southern Company characterized Vistra as the cheaper utility, but Southern was viewed as stronger on dividends, debt management, profitability and recent stock performance. VST or SO Utility Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report quarterly results next week, but Zacks said the company lacks the combination of earnings-estimate revisions and surprise factors typically associated with a likely earnings beat. This raises caution ahead of the report, especially after the company’s previous quarter missed consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue. Vistra Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: A recent analyst downgrade has also weighed on sentiment, reinforcing concerns about valuation, execution and near-term earnings momentum. Vistra Shares Following Analyst Downgrade

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Apella Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.6% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 5.3% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.0% during the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $138.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $46.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.71. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $196.80.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.13 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.2310 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.