Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.5% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 1.5% to about $149.71, with trading volume below the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: 16 analysts rate the stock Buy, with an average target price of $216.74 versus its current price.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting EPS of $0.76 versus $1.61 expected and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected; meanwhile, the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) fell 1.5% on Monday. The company traded as low as $145.85 and last traded at $149.7090. 4,264,808 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 5,130,907 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $201.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $216.74.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 1.38. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $145.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.31.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.54%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Apella Capital LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company's stock worth $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. NYSE: VST is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.

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