Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.5% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 0.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $189.11 and last traded at $190.88. Approximately 1,986,327 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 7,441,800 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $168.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $155.22 and its 200-day moving average is $119.39. The company has a market cap of $64.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

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 paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

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 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’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 value of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents 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 valued at $55,087,314 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 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.