Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Falls 2.1% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was down 2.1% during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as $156.85 and last traded at $158.1260. 6,483,161 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 5,111,283 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.61.

Vistra Stock Down 6.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $144.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.30. The company has a market capitalization of $50.86 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oak Grove Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 12.8% during the third quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 224,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,061,000 after buying an additional 25,400 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 41.5% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 18.6% during the third quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in Vistra by 3.7% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 6.9% during the third quarter. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC now owns 1,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.