Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $126.94, but opened at $123.75. Vistra shares last traded at $124.35, with a volume of 1,350,519 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Down 0.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $42.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.46.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’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 value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.