Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target Raised to $191.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its target price lifted by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $151.00 to $191.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective points to a potential upside of 1.70% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $168.20.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock traded up $2.45 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $187.80. 5,722,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,398,404. The company has a 50-day moving average of $153.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.41. The company has a market capitalization of $63.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a twelve month low of $39.13 and a twelve month high of $194.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.