Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 2.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $133.86 and last traded at $136.6830. 6,296,234 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 21% from the average session volume of 5,184,683 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.93.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $156.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.55. The company has a market capitalization of $46.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 611.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 441,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,312,000 after buying an additional 379,071 shares during the period. Energy Income Partners LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 471,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,849,000 after acquiring an additional 126,762 shares in the last quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,496 shares during the period. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth $527,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 38.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 141,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,292,000 after purchasing an additional 39,027 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.