Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2.1% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 2.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $156.51 and last traded at $159.0220. Approximately 4,128,864 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 5,095,854 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.31.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $154.55 and its 200-day moving average is $159.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Vistra by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 20.0% during the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

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.