Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.4% on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 1.4% on Friday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $174.00 to $154.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $105.75 and last traded at $107.78. 1,527,822 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 7,862,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.26.

VST has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.69.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $409,087,000. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,964,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,677,000 after purchasing an additional 353,949 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Down 1.3 %

The company’s 50 day moving average is $134.31 and its 200 day moving average is $141.40. The company has a market cap of $36.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

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.