Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.6% on Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 4.6% on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $236.00 to $234.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $165.83 and last traded at $165.86. 5,112,772 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 6,058,621 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.89.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.40.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The stock has a market cap of $56.20 billion, a PE ratio of 76.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day moving average is $163.44 and its 200-day moving average is $180.49.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 82.27%. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

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.