Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $152.61 and last traded at $161.02. Approximately 7,193,605 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 6,901,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Up 3.9 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $146.83 and a 200 day moving average of $113.39. 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 capitalization of $56.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % 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, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $36,000. 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.