Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $124.01, but opened at $120.25. Vistra shares last traded at $121.16, with a volume of 1,766,983 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VST shares. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $41.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.89, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.79.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in Vistra by 9.6% during the 3rd 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. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $565,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.