Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Rating Raised to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $210.00 to $188.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Vistra from $189.00 to $169.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 9th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reduced their price objective on Vistra from $201.00 to $181.00 and set an “outperformer” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.45.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded down $1.56 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $132.95. 3,206,522 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,001,420. Vistra has a 1 year low of $110.89 and a 1 year high of $189.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $143.19 and a 200 day moving average of $151.96.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.98 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 13.15% and a return on equity of 113.41%. On average, analysts forecast that Vistra will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, November 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Apella Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the 3rd 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 stake 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 buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $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% in the second 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 period. Finally, Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.9% in the third quarter. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company that generates and sells electricity and provides related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its retail businesses offer electricity plans and energy services through brands that include TXU Energy and Ambit Energy. The company owns and operates a diverse generation fleet, including natural gas, nuclear, coal and solar facilities, as well as battery energy storage systems. Its operations serve customers and wholesale power markets across multiple U.S. regions, including Texas and the eastern and central United States.