Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 8.2%

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 8.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $73.38 and last traded at $73.50. 6,089,761 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 6,681,771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VST. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vistra from $86.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Vistra from $79.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $87.83.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $25.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.53 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $89.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.08.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 24.72%. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 19th were issued a $0.218 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lisa Crutchfield purchased 335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $89.46 per share, with a total value of $29,969.10. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 32,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,879,359.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised 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. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.