Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.5% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price dropped 0.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $154.40 and last traded at $160.02. Approximately 3,923,941 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 6,370,263 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.50.

Vistra Stock Up 3.9 %

The company has a market capitalization of $56.84 billion, a PE ratio of 31.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th were given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the business’s 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 owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 115.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after buying an additional 1,356,488 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares in the last quarter. 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.