Vistra’s (VST) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Sanford C. Bernstein

Vistra (NYSE:VST)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by equities researchers at Sanford C. Bernstein in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $181.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target points to a potential upside of 31.30% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings cut Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $137.85. The stock had a trading volume of 800,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,860,146. The stock has a market cap of $46.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra has a 52-week low of $132.66 and a 52-week high of $217.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $144.08 and a 200 day moving average of $151.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. Sell-side analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,234,000 after acquiring an additional 9,556 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 16.1% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,979,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Vistra by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,987,000 after buying an additional 79,972 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.