Vistra (NYSE:VST) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VST. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of VST stock opened at $135.74 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $153.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.72. Vistra has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $45.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.93 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.