Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2.4% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares dropped 2.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $158.32 and last traded at $159.5090. Approximately 2,907,920 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 3,656,386 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Vistra Trading Up 0.5%

The company has a market cap of $52.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.74, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.49. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $161.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.83.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.