Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.6% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $137.02 and last traded at $137.87. 2,760,793 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 6,683,200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $46.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.30.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.