Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 4.2% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were down 4.2% on Friday . The company traded as low as $136.74 and last traded at $138.00. Approximately 1,056,270 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 6,696,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on VST shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $47.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.97.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 6.6% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,838,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,932,000 after acquiring an additional 425,126 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Vistra by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,826,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293,974 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 2,610,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 654,568 shares during the last quarter. 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.