Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.6% After Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded down 4.6% during mid-day trading on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $236.00 to $234.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $165.83 and last traded at $165.86. 5,112,772 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 6,058,621 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.89.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.49, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 82.27%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.94%.

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.