Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Cut to $210.00 by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $231.00 to $210.00 in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

VST has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.61.

Vistra Price Performance

Vistra stock opened at $145.03 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.11. The stock has a market cap of $48.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.38. Vistra has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $217.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts expect that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. This represents 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. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.5% during the 2nd 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. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $574,499,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Vistra by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,616,000 after acquiring an additional 32,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $468,354,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy reportedly plans to provide approximately $4.2 billion in financing for capacity upgrades at Vistra’s Perry, Davis-Besse and Beaver Valley nuclear plants. The projects could add about 433 megawatts while reducing the amount of capital Vistra must fund itself. Vistra Gets $4.2B Federal Loan to Add Nuclear Power Meta Already Bought
• Positive Sentiment: Much of the additional nuclear output reportedly has long-term buyers, including a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta. Vistra also has a 20-year, 207-megawatt agreement to supply a Texas data center, improving revenue visibility and reducing exposure to volatile wholesale power prices. Vistra Powers New Era’s AI Data Center Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity was notably bullish: traders purchased 52,402 call options, 52% above the average daily volume. Analysts and commentators also highlighted potential upside from stronger nuclear demand, with one research view estimating a fair value near $190.62. Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra extended the maturity of its revolving credit facility to September 2027, providing additional liquidity flexibility. A reported $1 billion share-repurchase authorization and an increased quarterly dividend may also support shareholder returns. Vistra Extends Revolving Credit Maturity
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets reduced its price target from $231 to $210 but maintained an “outperform” rating, indicating continued optimism despite a more conservative valuation. Vistra Stock Price Target Cut by BMO Capital Markets
• Negative Sentiment: Vistra remains highly leveraged, with a debt-to-equity ratio near 5.87. Its latest reported quarter also missed consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue, underscoring execution and balance-sheet risks if nuclear upgrades or data-center contracts are delayed.

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.