Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 6.8% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 6.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $139.27 and last traded at $142.59. Approximately 12,543,662 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 95% from the average daily volume of 6,441,030 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.20.

Vistra Stock Down 6.8%

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $165.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.18. The firm has a market cap of $48.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 58,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $10,183,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 218,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,137,265.25. The trade was a 21.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 166,680 shares of company stock worth $28,761,790. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.