Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.1% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 0.1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $163.12 and last traded at $166.39. Approximately 2,731,451 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 9,151,542 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $56.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50-day moving average is $158.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.85. 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 announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership 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 dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 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 approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $237,441,000. Appaloosa LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares in 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.