Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.5% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price fell 4.5% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $157.87 and last traded at $161.72. 3,533,590 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 8,847,839 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.35.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 4.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $55.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $159.73 and its 200-day moving average is $131.14.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % 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. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% during 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.