Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5% - Time to Sell?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was down 5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $160.56 and last traded at $160.87. Approximately 2,929,724 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 7,360,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $178.00 price target (up previously from $172.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI set a $192.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $134.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.08.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $56.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.15%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.80, for a total value of $3,136,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 325,192 shares in the company, valued at $50,990,105.60. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 108,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.98, for a total value of $16,953,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 218,239 shares in the company, valued at $34,259,158.22. This represents a 33.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 294,000 shares of company stock worth $47,461,490. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Vistra by 355.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 5,002 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $254,000. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,058 shares of the company's stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 195,947 shares of the company's stock worth $27,015,000 after acquiring an additional 1,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $1,177,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.