Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.8% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares dropped 1.8% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $136.18 and last traded at $136.43. Approximately 4,914,565 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 4,933,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.94.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.94.

Vistra Trading Down 1.8%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $153.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.97. The stock has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%.The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth about $4,610,496,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Payden & Rygel increased its position in Vistra by 3,118.2% during the 4th quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,875,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.