Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.5% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 0.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $154.40 and last traded at $160.02. Approximately 3,923,941 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 6,370,263 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $56.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $147.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank grew its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.