Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1% – Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares dropped 1% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $99.24 and last traded at $101.18. Approximately 2,435,583 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 7,835,766 shares. The stock had previously closed at $102.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.69.

Vistra Price Performance

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 business’s fifty day moving average is $134.31 and its 200 day moving average is $141.40. The company has a market cap of $38.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the sale, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 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.