Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $162.83.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Vistra Stock Up 5.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VST opened at $124.42 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $155.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $42.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a 12-month low of $60.86 and a 12-month high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.