Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.5% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 3.5% on Friday, trading as low as $162.31 after closing at $168.98 the previous day, with volume running below average.
• Despite the pullback, analyst sentiment remains positive: Vistra has an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $230.62, with several firms recently reaffirming or raising their targets.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.229 per share for a 0.6% annualized yield.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 3.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $162.31 and last traded at $163.1480. 2,550,443 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 4,948,518 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $230.62.

Vistra Trading Down 3.5%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.43. The stock has a market cap of $55.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $322,660,000. Amundi increased its stake in Vistra by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company's stock worth $314,524,000 after acquiring an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 585.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company's stock worth $146,425,000 after acquiring an additional 775,104 shares during the period. 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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