Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 1.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price traded down 1.4% on Friday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $174.00 to $154.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $105.75 and last traded at $107.78. 1,527,822 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 7,862,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.26.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vistra from $203.00 to $186.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. The trade was a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after buying an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP raised its holdings in Vistra by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $38.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.35. 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 company also recently declared 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 is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Vistra Company Profile

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.