Brokerages Set Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Price Target at $149.10

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $149.10.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company.

Vistra Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $144.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra has a 12-month low of $37.77 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.97.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.