Fintel reports that on May 3, 2023, Morgan Stanley maintained coverage of Vistra (NYSE:VST) with a Overweight recommendation.
Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 43.20% Upside
As of April 24, 2023, the average one-year price target for Vistra is 33.09. The forecasts range from a low of 29.29 to a high of $38.85. The average price target represents an increase of 43.20% from its latest reported closing price of 23.11.
See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside.
The projected annual revenue for Vistra is 15,971MM, an increase of 16.34%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 3.05.
Vistra Declares $0.20 Dividend
On February 23, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share ($0.79 annualized). Shareholders of record as of March 22, 2023 received the payment on March 31, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.19 per share.
At the current share price of $23.11 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 3.42%.
Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.91%, the lowest has been 1.83%, and the highest has been 4.18%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.52 (n=237).
The current dividend yield is 0.96 standard deviations above the historical average.
Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is -0.24. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.
The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.46%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.
What is the Fund Sentiment?
There are 1006 funds or institutions reporting positions in Vistra. This is an increase of 56 owner(s) or 5.89% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to VST is 0.32%, a decrease of 22.83%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 5.45% to 392,245K shares. 
The put/call ratio of VST is 0.40, indicating a bullish outlook.
What are Other Shareholders Doing?
Oaktree Capital Management holds 25,400K shares representing 6.69% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 12,113K shares representing 3.19% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 12,377K shares, representing a decrease of 2.17%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in VST by 0.15% over the last quarter.
Brookfield Asset Management holds 11,366K shares representing 2.99% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 14,771K shares, representing a decrease of 29.96%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in VST by 13.43% over the last quarter.
Laurion Capital Management holds 10,275K shares representing 2.71% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 10,609K shares, representing a decrease of 3.24%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in VST by 15.22% over the last quarter.
VIMSX - Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares holds 9,254K shares representing 2.44% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 9,579K shares, representing a decrease of 3.52%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in VST by 1.97% over the last quarter.
Vistra Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)
Vistra Energy Corporation is a leading, Fortune 275 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, providing essential resources for customers, commerce, and communities. Vistra combines an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail with safe, reliable, diverse, and efficient power generation. The company brings its products and services to market in 20 states and the District of Columbia, including six of the seven competitive wholesale markets in the U.S. and markets in Canada and Japan, as well. Serving nearly 4.3 million residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers with electricity and natural gas, Vistra is one of the largest competitive residential electricity providers in the country and offers over 50 renewable energy plans. The company is also the largest competitive power generator in the U.S. with a capacity of approximately 39,000 megawatts powered by a diverse portfolio, including natural gas, nuclear, solar, and battery energy storage facilities. In addition, the company is a large purchaser of wind power. The company is currently constructing a 400-MW/1,600-MWh battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, California, the largest of its kind in the world.
See all Vistra regulatory filings.This story originally appeared on Fintel.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
