Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 2.3% After Earnings Miss

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 2.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $179.53 and last traded at $184.97. 6,512,823 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average session volume of 6,467,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $189.39.

The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.88%.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.227 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on VST shares. TD Cowen began coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares in the company, valued at $45,303,968.75. This trade represents a 16.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 723,910 shares of company stock worth $148,086,569 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Trading Up 3.3%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $199.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.29. The company has a market capitalization of $64.60 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

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.