Vistra (NYSE:VST) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $137.81 and last traded at $139.3120, with a volume of 804072 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $141.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.93.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company has a market cap of $46.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.