Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $180.18, but opened at $167.55. Vistra shares last traded at $167.5540, with a volume of 5,623,280 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Cowen assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $57.13 billion, a PE ratio of 60.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 278,995 shares of company stock worth $50,757,547. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.