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

Investment analysts at Siebert Williams Shank started coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank’s price target suggests a potential upside of 48.65% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $219.33.

Vistra Price Performance

VST traded down $3.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $135.89. 787,456 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,858,813. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94 and a beta of 1.38. 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 one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $217.10. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. This represents a 11.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 89.1% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in 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 last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vistra by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,979,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,672,987,000 after buying an additional 79,972 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.