Morgan Stanley Boosts Vistra (NYSE:VST) Price Target to $212.00

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $208.00 to $212.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target suggests a potential upside of 40.77% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $229.88.

Vistra Trading Down 4.1%

NYSE:VST traded down $6.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $150.59. The stock had a trading volume of 3,333,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,936,157. Vistra has a one year low of $132.66 and a one year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $50.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $156.46 and its 200-day moving average is $158.35.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.