Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 4.9%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were down 4.9% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $79.79 and last traded at $81.70. Approximately 2,265,987 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 6,623,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $86.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upgraded Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $79.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.83.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $26.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.95 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.06.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.62 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 5.66%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 19th were issued a $0.218 dividend. This represents a $0.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 53.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lisa Crutchfield acquired 335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $89.46 per share, for a total transaction of $29,969.10. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 32,186 shares in the company, valued at $2,879,359.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 160.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.