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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $124.01, but opened at $120.25. Vistra shares last traded at $121.16, with a volume of 1,766,983 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

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 business's 50 day moving average is $147.39 and its 200 day moving average is $140.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

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Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock worth $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company's stock worth $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 36.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock worth $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings 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 acquiring 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.