Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 3.3% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were down 3.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $126.52 and last traded at $127.84. Approximately 3,371,148 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 6,962,672 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $146.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.22.

Vistra Stock Down 2.1 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $95.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The company has a market capitalization of $44.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.35 and a beta of 1.10.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a $0.2195 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 425,126 shares in the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 470.0% during the 1st quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,108,511 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Vistra by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,519,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,570,000 after acquiring an additional 363,897 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Vistra by 9,668.5% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,940,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,779,000 after purchasing an additional 2,910,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 25.1% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 2,564,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,632,000 after purchasing an additional 514,722 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.