Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 26.5% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 26.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $140.61 and last traded at $140.54. 13,935,172 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 74% from the average session volume of 8,007,210 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Up 3.8 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $155.89 and a 200-day moving average of $121.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

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 4.48 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 other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning boosted its position in Vistra by 36.2% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 38.1% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 67,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,838,000 after buying an additional 18,740 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 52.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 58,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 19,957 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $215,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 96,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,313,000 after acquiring an additional 5,094 shares during 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.