Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 5% – What’s Next?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were down 5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $153.40 and last traded at $154.52. Approximately 4,819,867 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 6,884,115 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 5.0 %

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 stock has a market cap of $52.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $131.23 and its 200 day moving average is $101.40.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.