Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 6.7% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price dropped 6.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $149.66 and last traded at $151.5330. 7,219,586 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 41% from the average daily volume of 5,123,037 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $212.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen cut their target price on Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.61.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $50.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.60 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 4.9% in the first quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in Vistra by 5.3% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 1.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.