BMO Capital Markets Raises Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target to $191.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target increased by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $151.00 to $191.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target indicates a potential downside of 0.36% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on VST. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas started 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.20.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $191.70 on Wednesday. Vistra has a 1 year low of $39.13 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $155.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.39.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.