Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price fell 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $152.61 and last traded at $161.02. 7,193,605 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 6,901,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.37.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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 50 day moving average price of $146.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.39. The company has a market capitalization of $56.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Empire Life Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $23,028,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,920 shares during the last quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $842,000. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,296,000 after buying an additional 7,747 shares during the period. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $17,781,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.