Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 0.9% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 0.9% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $157.29 and last traded at $159.38. Approximately 1,118,903 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 6,797,820 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 0.6 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $137.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.57. 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 firm has a market cap of $54.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in Vistra by 9.6% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,179,000. Blankinship & Foster LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,353,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $263,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $351,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.