Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 2.1% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 2.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $155.80 and last traded at $160.47. 2,051,713 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 5,962,015 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $54.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 1.86 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. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.06.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.