Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.4% – Should You Sell?

by · The Markets Daily

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) fell 1.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $135.62 and last traded at $138.02. 764,443 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 6,751,063 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Vistra

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $48.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.48.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 143.5% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 164,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,137,000 after acquiring an additional 96,889 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 52.8% during the second quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 60,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,228,000 after buying an additional 21,002 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Vistra by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 67,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,766,000 after buying an additional 7,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Center For Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Center For Asset Management LLC now owns 8,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 958 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

(Get Free Report)

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.

Featured Articles