Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 3.9% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded down 3.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $156.84 and last traded at $156.86. 1,714,966 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 8,742,647 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $160.19 and its 200 day moving average is $132.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.60%.

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

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 33.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 7,753 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.6% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 4.8% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 14,657.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 420,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,856,000 after buying an additional 417,730 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.