Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 2.8% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 2.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $121.40 and last traded at $123.38. 2,558,780 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 9,463,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $159.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.89, 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 will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth about $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in Vistra by 9.6% during 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 during the period. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $565,000. 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.