Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.2%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price fell 5.2% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $64.91 and last traded at $65.10. 3,813,377 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 4,990,870 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.20.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $61.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.12. The stock has a market cap of $22.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.48 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 24.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares in the company, valued at $9,470,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total value of $4,556,207.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares in the company, valued at $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 98,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.50, for a total transaction of $5,734,170.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 161,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,470,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock worth $15,404,397. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.