Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.5% – Should You Sell?

by · The Markets Daily

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) shares fell 1.5% on Monday. The company traded as low as $145.85 and last traded at $149.7090. Approximately 4,264,808 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 5,130,907 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $214.05.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on VST

Vistra Stock Up 0.4%

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $145.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.28. 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 company has a market capitalization of $50.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. On average, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James A. Burke acquired 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Apella Capital LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

(Get Free Report)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.

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