Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.3% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were down 4.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $121.90 and last traded at $122.46. Approximately 3,543,765 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 6,910,809 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $146.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.50.

Vistra Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $91.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 75.83 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were issued a $0.2195 dividend. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 53.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6,527.3% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 516,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,879,000 after buying an additional 508,278 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,008,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,860,000 after purchasing an additional 389,497 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 85,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 224.2% in the fourth quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 156,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,045,000 after buying an additional 108,532 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Vistra by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,643,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,300,000 after buying an additional 555,596 shares in the last quarter. 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.