Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 0% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $137.52 and last traded at $139.75. 1,039,787 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 6,744,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 2.6 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $139.88 and its 200 day moving average is $106.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.39, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 in the last quarter. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 94.3% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $9,878,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 9.6% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $2,179,000. Finally, Blankinship & Foster LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,353,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.