Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 0.8% - Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $118.39 and last traded at $122.99. Approximately 2,867,625 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 7,482,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America raised Vistra to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

Vistra Stock Down 0.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $147.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.40.

Remove Ads

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa bought 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,920 shares during the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $565,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.