Sanford C. Bernstein Upgrades Vistra (NYSE:VST) to Strong-Buy

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was upgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.44.

Vistra Trading Down 0.0%

Vistra stock opened at $158.57 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $153.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Equities research analysts forecast that Vistra will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,088 shares of company stock worth $1,634,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after buying an additional 432,028 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after buying an additional 97,424 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,572,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,872,000 after buying an additional 35,258 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.