Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.6% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 1.6% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $140.17 and last traded at $140.9520. Approximately 6,054,459 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 21% from the average daily volume of 4,988,773 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. 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 report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.88.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $47.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.61 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $156.11 and its 200 day moving average is $157.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This trade represents a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $322,660,000. Amundi raised its position in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.