Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 2.1% – What’s Next?
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyVistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) was down 2.1% during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as $156.85 and last traded at $158.1260. 6,483,161 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average daily volume of 5,111,283 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.48.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on VST. Siebert Williams Shank started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.61.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on VST
Vistra Price Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $143.94 and a 200-day moving average of $151.18. The stock has a market cap of $53.07 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71 and a beta of 1.38.
Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.
Vistra Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.
Insider Activity at Vistra
In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Vistra
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,610,496,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,979,000 after acquiring an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after acquiring an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,543,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 353.5% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 9,112 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.
Vistra Company Profile
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.
Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.