Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $170.55. 4,528,207 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 6,912,492 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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. 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.05, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $151.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

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

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, 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 transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.