Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 12.6% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price traded down 12.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $144.83 and last traded at $146.2340. 11,025,482 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 93% from the average session volume of 5,721,046 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Vistra from $239.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.87.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $49.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.68.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in shares of Vistra by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.