Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 13.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 13.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $109.91 and last traded at $110.20. 4,432,800 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 43% from the average session volume of 7,726,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $36.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $143.86 and a 200 day moving average of $141.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in Vistra by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares in the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $565,000. Institutional investors 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.