Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 4.6% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded down 4.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $125.17 and last traded at $125.76. 1,717,962 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 7,480,403 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

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’s 50 day moving average price is $148.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.65. The stock has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents 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 accessible through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents 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 Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Vistra by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.