Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.4% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $170.50 and last traded at $175.64. Approximately 3,948,656 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 10,210,771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on VST shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.64. The company has a market cap of $57.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.36, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.