Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 3.3% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 3.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $126.52 and last traded at $127.84. Approximately 3,371,148 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 6,962,672 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $146.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective 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. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $141.30.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.25. The stock has a market cap of $43.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 97.20 and a beta of 1.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 20th were issued a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.71%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.