Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.6% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded down 1.6% on Friday . The company traded as low as $126.27 and last traded at $129.80. 1,603,585 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 7,471,296 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

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 stock’s 50-day moving average price is $151.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.64. The company has a market cap of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.