Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.5% - What's Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) dropped 4.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $157.87 and last traded at $161.72. Approximately 3,533,590 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 8,847,839 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 7.8 %

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $160.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.92. 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 firm has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 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 period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth 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 period. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Vistra by 0.7% during the third 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. Finally, Umpqua Bank lifted its position in Vistra by 2.2% during the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.