Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 5.8% - Here's What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares were down 5.8% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $108.43 and last traded at $108.68. Approximately 871,590 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 9,042,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $174.00 to $154.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $166.17.

Vistra Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $41.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $124.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.69.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company's stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,433,732 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company's stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 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.