Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 3.2% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares fell 3.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $155.15 and last traded at $159.20. 6,056,105 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 5,927,582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VST. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The company has a market cap of $53.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.95.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 49.2% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,784,000 after purchasing an additional 122,545 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at $1,445,000. Finally, National Pension Service increased its stake in Vistra by 6.3% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,195,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,280,000 after purchasing an additional 70,693 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.