Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 2.7% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 2.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $156.86 and last traded at $158.12. 3,802,110 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 6,278,699 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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, January 12th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Vistra Trading Down 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $53.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $166.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.94.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,842,690.90. This represents a 9.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 166,680 shares of company stock valued at $28,761,790 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after acquiring an additional 226,514 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Vistra by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864,931 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $930,080,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.