Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 6% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price dropped 6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $153.01 and last traded at $153.50. Approximately 1,848,673 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 5,820,272 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.37.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. 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 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.50.

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 firm has a market cap of $56.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $146.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.39.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Vistra by 0.7% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 3.0% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.