Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 5.4% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $137.91 and last traded at $138.2960. 5,138,578 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 5,150,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.33.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $153.91 and a 200 day moving average of $160.70. 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 capitalization of $46.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. 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 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,368,825.60. This represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.