Vistra (NYSE:VST) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

VST has been the subject of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $230.62.

Vistra Stock Up 2.7%

Vistra stock opened at $162.22 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.37.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 74.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.