Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $180.18, but opened at $167.55. Vistra shares last traded at $167.5540, with a volume of 5,623,280 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $169.67 and a 200 day moving average of $188.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The company has a market cap of $57.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The business had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 32.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares in the company, valued at $51,772,476. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 278,995 shares of company stock valued at $50,757,547 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN raised its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN now owns 168,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,698,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the last quarter. ELCO Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth approximately $499,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co bought a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Vistra by 1.7% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,099,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,830,000 after purchasing an additional 35,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its position in Vistra by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 6,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 2,220 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.