Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 4.6% on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were down 4.6% on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $236.00 to $234.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $165.83 and last traded at $165.86. Approximately 5,112,772 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 6,058,621 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.89.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp lifted its holdings in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $56.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.43, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 82.27%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

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.