Vistra (NYSE:VST) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $151.00 to $191.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Vistra traded as high as $194.67 and last traded at $186.79, with a volume of 8986314 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $185.35.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bensler LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 69,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,606,000 after acquiring an additional 5,561 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 201.1% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 3,682 shares in the last quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $339,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,489,000 after purchasing an additional 808 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $154.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $63.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.