Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 1% to $146.58, with trading volume below its average. The stock is below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.56, implying substantial upside from the recent price.
• Vistra reported a significant quarterly earnings and revenue miss, posting EPS of $0.76 versus estimates of $1.61 and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion. The company also maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.23, producing a 0.6% yield.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares traded down 1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $145.21 and last traded at $146.58. 4,017,713 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 4,954,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $228.56.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $49.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $154.14 and a 200 day moving average of $156.55.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Vistra by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Vistra by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP lifted its stake in Vistra by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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