Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.9% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 5.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $127.67 and last traded at $134.41. 5,402,723 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 8,865,609 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

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 stock has a market cap of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50 day moving average is $160.14 and its 200-day moving average is $133.18.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors 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.