Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 13.4% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price fell 13.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $109.91 and last traded at $110.20. 4,432,800 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 43% from the average session volume of 7,726,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Down 15.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $36.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its stake in Vistra by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group increased its holdings in Vistra by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

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.