Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.6% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $126.27 and last traded at $129.80. 1,603,585 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 7,471,296 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $152.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.89.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP raised its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.