Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $171.64.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TD Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,196,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,928,000 after buying an additional 176,872 shares during the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 58.1% in the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 2,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 315,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,493,000 after buying an additional 116,226 shares during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $131,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 44.7% in the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 32,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,446,000 after buying an additional 9,968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $167.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $157.97 and a 200 day moving average of $127.57. Vistra has a 1 year low of $42.22 and a 1 year high of $199.84.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are 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.