Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded down 1.7% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $164.23 and last traded at $167.2420. 2,939,957 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 5,619,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Down 12.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $49.51 billion, a PE ratio of 67.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $163.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. 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 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

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.