Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 0% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $137.52 and last traded at $139.75. Approximately 1,039,787 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 6,744,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 2.6 %

The company has a market cap of $46.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.44.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Institutional investors 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.