Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.9% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares fell 1.9% Thursday to about $153, trading roughly 4.07 million shares—about 24% below the stock's average daily volume.
• Wall Street sentiment is largely positive with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $236.87, following upgrades and raised targets from firms including Goldman Sachs, BMO, UBS and Scotiabank.
• Vistra missed quarterly EPS and revenue (EPS $2.18 vs. $2.45 est.; revenue $4.58B vs. $5.75B) but increased its quarterly dividend to $0.228 (annualized $0.91, ~0.6% yield).

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) were down 1.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $152.68 and last traded at $152.9910. Approximately 4,073,231 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 5,384,085 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $236.87.

Vistra Trading Down 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $51.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $160.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $484,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $659,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 85.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 8,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 3,721 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $282,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $74,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

Vistra NYSE: VST is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company's operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra's core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.

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