Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 5.9% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 5.9% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $106.82 and last traded at $107.54. 3,000,728 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 7,433,178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Down 5.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $158.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.