Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.6% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $168.00 and last traded at $170.64. 2,023,593 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 9,897,394 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Trading Down 1.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $56.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $157.28 and its 200 day moving average is $124.91.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $4.01. The business had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 57.63% and a net margin of 12.51%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 342,100 shares of company stock valued at $55,087,314 over the last three months. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.7% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Umpqua Bank grew its stake in Vistra by 2.2% in the third quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.