Bank of America Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Bank of America from $231.00 to $218.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 25.30% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank set a $293.00 price target on Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.40.

Vistra Stock Up 4.6%

VST traded up $7.62 on Monday, hitting $173.99. The company had a trading volume of 4,586,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,123,093. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $10,183,556.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 218,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,137,265.25. This trade represents a 21.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 364,450 shares of company stock valued at $68,655,803. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank raised its position in Vistra by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 83,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,549,000 after acquiring an additional 3,093 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 25,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,033,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Vistra by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 2,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vistra by 18,652.7% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 38,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,202,000 after purchasing an additional 38,238 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $109,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.