Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 4.9% – What’s Next?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 4.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.66 and last traded at $120.67. 3,188,090 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 9,452,266 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Down 10.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.