Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $126.94, but opened at $123.75. Vistra shares last traded at $124.35, with a volume of 1,350,519 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $42.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.46 and a 200-day moving average of $135.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $216,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $17,023,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 58.7% in the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,849 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 15,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. 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.