Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.7% After Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares traded down 3.7% on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $203.00 to $186.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $112.00 and last traded at $114.65. 3,086,991 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 7,706,231 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.05.

VST has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

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Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of the firm's 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 purchase, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group raised its holdings in Vistra by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,096 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $143.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

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.