Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 3.9% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $142.16 and last traded at $142.7910. 4,889,776 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 4,954,048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.64.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $212 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling substantial potential upside from recent trading levels and supporting the long-term investment case. Morgan Stanley Raises Vistra Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per common share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 21. The dividend represents an approximately $75 million distribution and provides modest shareholder income. Vistra Declares Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report quarterly results next week. Analysts expect earnings to grow, but Zacks says the company lacks the combination of factors that typically supports a likely earnings beat, raising the risk of a muted market reaction even if results improve. Vistra Earnings Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: New York’s limits related to data-center development create a mixed outlook. Rising electricity demand from data centers could benefit Vistra’s generation assets, but regulatory restrictions may limit the pace of new demand and growth. Vistra Stock and New York Data Center Limits
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst downgrade recently sent Vistra shares lower, weighing on sentiment and offsetting the more bullish Morgan Stanley view. The conflicting recommendations underscore uncertainty about valuation and near-term earnings momentum. Vistra Shares Down After Analyst Downgrade

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.88.

Vistra Trading Down 0.2%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company has a market capitalization of $50.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $322,660,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after buying an additional 817,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,425,000 after buying an additional 775,104 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.