Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2.8% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 2.8% on Friday . The company traded as low as $161.69 and last traded at $161.89. Approximately 1,795,622 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 6,873,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 2.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.09. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $127.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.03.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 1,505.9% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.