Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 2.5% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price dropped 2.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $152.95 and last traded at $154.0280. Approximately 3,810,680 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 5,212,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $154.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.15 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 19,600 shares of company stock worth $3,163,900. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 20,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,323,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 191.2% in the 1st quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 3,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 2,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,621,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.