Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.8% - Here's Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 5.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $108.43 and last traded at $108.68. 871,590 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 9,042,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VST shares. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.17.

Vistra Trading Up 2.0 %

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $122.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.63. The company has a market cap of $43.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. The trade was a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $631,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth approximately $1,466,000. Fulcrum Equity Management grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.8% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 13,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

About Vistra

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.