Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.6% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 3.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $128.00 and last traded at $130.13. 2,781,480 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 7,505,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $44.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. 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 0.68%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $288,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 90.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,524,000 after purchasing an additional 10,124 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its stake in Vistra by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $276,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.