Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2% - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares fell 2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $170.55. 4,528,207 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 6,912,492 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group raised their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Vistra Trading Down 1.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $58.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50-day moving average price is $151.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.79.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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.