Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Falls 1.5% Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 1.5% after Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce cut its price target from $201 to $181, though it maintained an outperform rating. The stock traded near $140.64.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $202.43; however, Zacks Research downgraded the stock to “strong sell.”
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting $0.76 in EPS versus $1.61 expected and $4.02 billion in revenue versus $5.46 billion projected. Insider activity was mixed, with the CEO buying shares while an executive vice president sold stock.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 1.5% on Thursday after Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered their price target on the stock from $201.00 to $181.00. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce currently has an outperformer rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $140.06 and last traded at $140.6350. Approximately 4,836,476 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 5,156,977 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.72.

VST has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James Financial set a $176.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. UBS Group set a $176.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $202.43.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke acquired 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained an “overweight” rating and reduced its price target from $212 to $198, still implying roughly 39%–41% upside from recent trading levels. The firm’s bullish view suggests the selloff has created an attractive entry point. Vistra Stock Has Slumped for a Year: Why Wells Fargo Still Sees 39% Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reaffirmed its buy rating, providing additional support for the long-term investment case despite recent weakness. Bank of America Securities Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Vistra Corp
• Positive Sentiment: Trefis is examining whether Vistra can rally approximately 50% after the dip, reflecting potential upside from the company’s power-generation exposure and longer-term demand trends. Can Vistra Stock Rally 50% After This Dip?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,610,496,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company's stock worth $40,979,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Vistra by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company's stock worth $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda purchased a new position in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,543,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 353.5% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the company's stock worth $1,757,000 after purchasing an additional 9,112 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $145.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76 and a beta of 1.38.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.13 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Company Profile

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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