Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.9% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 5.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $127.67 and last traded at $134.41. 5,402,723 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 8,865,609 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 4.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50-day moving average is $160.14 and its 200 day moving average is $133.18.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.