Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $136.98, but opened at $132.45. Vistra shares last traded at $137.44, with a volume of 688,879 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.55 and a 200-day moving average of $107.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314 over the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in Vistra by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.0% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the third quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

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.