Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 3.9% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was down 3.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $142.16 and last traded at $142.7910. Approximately 4,889,776 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 4,954,048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.64.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Vistra from $208 to $212 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside based on the cited reference price. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs issued a “buy” rating, adding support to the bullish analyst view. Vistra Corp Receives a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Vistra’s stronger return on equity, margins, earnings momentum and share gains compared with NRG Energy, although the stock carries a premium valuation. VST or NRG: Which Utility Stock Has Greater Upside Potential?
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra was included among utility stocks expected to outperform second-quarter earnings estimates, suggesting continued expectations for strong operating results. 5 Utility Stocks Poised to Outperform Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity included purchases of 39,705 call options, about 30% above typical daily volume. This may indicate speculative bullish positioning but does not guarantee sustained buying.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also focused on whether Vistra can keep pace with rising electricity-grid demand, a potentially important long-term growth opportunity but one requiring continued investment and execution. Can Vistra Keep Pace With the Grid’s Rising Power Demand?
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its Vistra price target from $230 to $222, triggering an analyst-driven selloff. The firm retained a “buy” rating, but the reduced target signaled less near-term upside and was the main pressure on the stock. TD Cowen Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Vistra Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: The decline occurred even as the broader market improved, indicating company-specific pressure rather than simply a market-wide move. Vistra Stock Declines While Market Improves

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $229.88.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $48.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $156.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is 15.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.