Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.8% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $150.12 and last traded at $151.2250. Approximately 2,927,882 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 5,520,283 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VST. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $51.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Vistra by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 767.0% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 34,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,590,000 after purchasing an additional 30,082 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.