Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 3.3% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded up 3.3% during trading on Friday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $237.00 to $243.00. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Vistra traded as high as $191.08 and last traded at $190.65. 5,772,109 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 6,463,989 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.62.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on VST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $234.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 9,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $1,853,964.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 298,967 shares in the company, valued at $57,491,354.10. The trade was a 3.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Up 3.3%

The stock has a market cap of $64.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $199.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $183.71.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

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.