UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target increased by UBS Group from $207.00 to $230.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on VST. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.69.

Vistra Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of VST opened at $192.30 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.89. Vistra has a 1 year low of $66.50 and a 1 year high of $207.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.26.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were given a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 14.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.67, for a total value of $4,291,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 75,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,037,649.82. The trade was a 24.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $5,650,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 88,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,218,505.12. The trade was a 28.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock valued at $47,461,490. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.7% during the second quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 1,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vistra by 48.4% in the 2nd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.