Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $191.11, but opened at $154.09. Vistra shares last traded at $144.52, with a volume of 8,874,044 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Evercore ISI started 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $156.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. The company had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank lifted its stake in Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.