Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $240.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its target price raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $239.00 to $240.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on VST. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $146.23 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Vistra has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.51 billion, a PE ratio of 67.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. Analysts predict that Vistra will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

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.