Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $169.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST opened at $161.92 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $127.24 and a 200 day moving average of $100.11. Vistra has a one year low of $34.61 and a one year high of $168.67.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 115.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after buying an additional 1,356,488 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,096,000 after purchasing an additional 893,093 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.