Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.1% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $143.13 and last traded at $146.49. Approximately 1,482,136 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 6,879,207 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $124.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Vistra by 115.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after buying an additional 1,037,402 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Vistra by 36.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after buying an additional 1,000,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Vistra by 315.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the period. 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.