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

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $161.00 to $174.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Up 8.5 %

VST stock opened at $162.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra has a 52 week low of $38.08 and a 52 week high of $168.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $143.91 and a 200 day moving average of $111.64.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in 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.