Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 0.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $168.04 and last traded at $169.53. Approximately 2,951,866 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 9,757,374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Down 1.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $56.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $157.28 and a 200-day moving average of $124.91.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. State Street Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 6.8% during the third 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 last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after buying an additional 1,293,974 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP increased its holdings in Vistra by 33.5% in the third quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,422,000 after buying an additional 654,568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP raised its position in Vistra by 60.1% during the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 2,125,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,898,000 after acquiring an additional 797,894 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.