Vistra (NYSE:VST) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on VST. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.20.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $191.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Vistra has a 12 month low of $39.13 and a 12 month high of $199.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $155.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.39.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 899 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Vistra by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 22,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,146,000 after buying an additional 3,493 shares during the period. Field & Main Bank acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Strategic Blueprint LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.