Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 3.8% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 3.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $184.50 and last traded at $185.61. 3,774,172 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 6,477,574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $193.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Melius initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $229.93.

Vistra Trading Down 3.8%

The stock has a market cap of $62.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.227 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 9,641 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $1,853,964.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 298,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,491,354.10. This trade represents a 3.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 723,910 shares of company stock worth $148,086,569 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its position in Vistra by 132.0% during the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter worth $25,000. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in Vistra by 275.4% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during 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.