Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.9% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 4.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $116.66 and last traded at $120.67. Approximately 3,188,090 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 9,452,266 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.25. The firm has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other 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.