Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $174.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $161.00 to $174.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

VST has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Up 8.5 %

NYSE VST opened at $162.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra has a 52 week low of $38.08 and a 52 week high of $168.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $143.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.64.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $488,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,639,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Vistra by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 321 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 94.3% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.