Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.4% - What's Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $170.50 and last traded at $175.64. Approximately 3,948,656 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 10,210,771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $156.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.39. The company has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $4.01. Vistra had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 57.63%. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Vistra by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,048 shares in the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,177,000. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $1,806,000. Institutional investors 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.