Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 4.3% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price fell 4.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $153.65 and last traded at $154.90. 1,994,360 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 6,875,126 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

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.