Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.3% – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $151.26 and last traded at $152.87. 1,576,530 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 6,878,297 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VST. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $56.32 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $125.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.