Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 5.4% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $137.91 and last traded at $138.2960. 5,138,578 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 5,150,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $46.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $322,660,000. Amundi increased its position in shares of Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.