Vistra Corp. (VST) To Go Ex-Dividend on December 22nd

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.227 per share on Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. This is a 0.4% increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23.

Vistra has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 6 years. Vistra has a payout ratio of 10.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Vistra to earn $6.32 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.90 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 14.2%.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $162.85 on Friday. Vistra has a 52 week low of $90.51 and a 52 week high of $219.82. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The company has a market cap of $55.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The company had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.40.

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.