Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.2%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares dropped 5.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $64.91 and last traded at $65.10. Approximately 3,813,377 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 4,990,870 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on VST. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.20.

Vistra Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $22.84 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.12.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($1.02). The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 24.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Vistra news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.