Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.8% - Here's Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) traded down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $122.28 and last traded at $124.03. 1,278,864 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 7,484,297 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given 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 $162.83.

Vistra Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $151.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.21. The company has a market capitalization of $44.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 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.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction 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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,174,326,000 after acquiring an additional 219,055 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Vistra by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company's stock worth $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.