Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price fell 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $136.10 and last traded at $138.15. 1,727,339 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 6,752,434 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $47.25 billion, a PE ratio of 25.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $139.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.44.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction 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 trade 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. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s 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 $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Vistra by 71.8% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 152,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,134,000 after purchasing an additional 63,839 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $15,343,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 29.0% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,905 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $225,000. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $215,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.