Vistra (NYSE:VST) Given “Outperform” Rating at Sanford C. Bernstein

Vistra (NYSE:VST)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 30.59% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on VST. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.50.

Vistra Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $138.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,298,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,864,774. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $144.08 and a 200-day moving average of $151.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.38 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. Vistra has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $217.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,234,000 after purchasing an additional 9,556 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake 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 period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 16.1% in the 2nd 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,987,000 after purchasing an additional 79,972 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.