Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 12.6% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares fell 12.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $144.83 and last traded at $146.2340. 11,025,482 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 93% from the average session volume of 5,721,046 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on VST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Trading Down 12.6%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.01 and a 200-day moving average of $177.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The company has a market capitalization of $49.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $484,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $659,000. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,721 shares during the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.