Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Rated Buy in New Coverage at Siebert Williams Shank

Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $181.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $219.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

Vistra stock opened at $139.94 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $143.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.64 and a beta of 1.38. Vistra has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $217.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $338,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 89.1% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,234,000 after purchasing an additional 9,556 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 19.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 16.1% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,979,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The reported loan would provide substantial financial support for Vistra’s nuclear expansion plans and may improve the long-term earnings outlook. The report is not yet confirmed as finalized. Trump administration reportedly prepares $4B federal loan to expand Vistra’s nuclear capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $202 price target, implying significant upside from recent levels. Siebert Williams Shank initiates coverage of Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reaffirmed its positive view, maintaining an Outperform rating and an $181 target. Analysts have pointed to a wide gap between Vistra’s depressed share price and their longer-term valuation estimates. Bernstein reaffirms Vistra outperform rating
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention was also supported by news that Peter Thiel’s investment fund added Vistra to its portfolio, with Vistra and Amazon representing 42% of the fund’s reported holdings. Peter Thiel’s fund adds Vistra

About Vistra

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.