Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.8% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $118.39 and last traded at $122.99. Approximately 2,867,625 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 7,482,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on VST shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $149.52 and its 200-day moving average is $139.79. The firm has a market cap of $41.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

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.