The Goldman Sachs Group Begins Coverage on Vistra (NYSE:VST)

The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a research report report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.23.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $97.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $140.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.78. Vistra has a 1-year low of $64.26 and a 1-year high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is 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.