Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.7% - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) fell 1.7% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $171.10. 8,254,135 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 87% from the average session volume of 4,420,974 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.50.

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 company has a market cap of $58.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company's fifty day moving average is $152.40 and its 200 day moving average is $117.73.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra 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 owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 57.2% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $854,000 after purchasing an additional 3,611 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $239,000. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 18,351 shares of the company's stock worth $1,578,000 after buying an additional 5,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 189.0% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 47,386 shares of the company's stock worth $4,074,000 after acquiring an additional 30,988 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.