Vistra (NYSE:VST) Upgraded at Bank of America

Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Bank of America currently has $152.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $164.00.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on VST. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Down 10.2 %

Shares of VST opened at $113.94 on Tuesday. Vistra has a 52-week low of $57.50 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The business’s fifty day moving average is $159.13 and its 200-day moving average is $135.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

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.