Vistra (NYSE:VST) Upgraded to “Buy” at Bank of America

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was upgraded by Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $152.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $164.00. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 22.79% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Eleven investment 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 $166.73.

Vistra Trading Down 7.4 %

Vistra stock opened at $123.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $160.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.83. The company has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. Vistra has a 52 week low of $55.28 and a 52 week high of $199.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.