Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 3.6% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 3.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $128.00 and last traded at $130.13. 2,781,480 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 7,505,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $151.19 and a 200-day moving average of $139.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The firm has a market cap of $44.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $288,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Vistra by 90.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,524,000 after buying an additional 10,124 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its stake in Vistra by 39.3% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $276,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.