Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.6% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 4.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $125.17 and last traded at $125.76. Approximately 1,717,962 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 7,480,403 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VST. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average is $148.43 and its 200 day moving average is $139.65.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value 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 trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,174,326,000 after buying an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Vistra by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,261,000 after acquiring an additional 296,714 shares in 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.