Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 5.4% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 5.4% to about $147.54 in midday trading, with volume significantly below the stock’s average.
• Despite the decline, analysts remain broadly bullish: Vistra has an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $229.88, well above the trading price.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.23 per share, while insiders have sold approximately $6.7 million of stock over the past quarter.

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) traded down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $148.45 and last traded at $147.5370. Approximately 740,806 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 4,913,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $229.88.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The business's 50 day moving average price is $156.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.85. The stock has a market cap of $49.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. The trade was a 25.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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