Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $137.81 and last traded at $139.9170. 6,580,151 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 5,172,198 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.93.

Vistra Trading Down 1.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company’s fifty day moving average is $156.34 and its 200-day moving average is $164.79. The stock has a market cap of $47.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. On average, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Vistra by 7.1% during the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2.0% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in Vistra by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.