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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 0.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $114.00 and last traded at $115.26. 4,836,332 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 7,892,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.17.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $127.80 and its 200 day moving average is $141.19. 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 market capitalization of $39.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This 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 Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $565,000. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 19,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.