Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.6% - Here's Why

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business's 50-day moving average price is $147.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The company 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 a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP boosted its position in Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,249,000 after buying an additional 1,429,612 shares during the last quarter. 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.