Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.2% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $155.15 and last traded at $159.20. 6,056,105 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 5,927,582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $53.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $163.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.46.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 85.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 8,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 3,721 shares during the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $282,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Vistra by 9,740.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Grove Capital LLC increased its position in Vistra by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 43,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,068,000 after buying an additional 20,200 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.