Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1% – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report)’s share price was down 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $99.24 and last traded at $101.18. Approximately 2,435,583 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 7,835,766 shares. The stock had previously closed at $102.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.69.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Vistra

Vistra Trading Up 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $134.31 and a 200-day moving average of $141.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $565,000. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 19,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,620,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

(Get Free Report)

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.

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