Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 2% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $170.55. 4,528,207 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 6,912,492 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Morgan Stanley raised 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. UBS Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

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 market capitalization of $58.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $151.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.