Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 3.9% - Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares were down 3.9% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $156.84 and last traded at $156.86. Approximately 1,714,966 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 8,742,647 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $206.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.64.

Vistra Stock Down 7.8 %

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 $51.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $160.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.92.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Vistra by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,052 shares of the company's stock worth $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 7,753 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Vistra by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Vistra by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the company's stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Investment Management Co. raised its position in Vistra by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co. now owns 21,700 shares of the company's stock worth $2,572,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. 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.