Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.7% After Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 3.7% on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $203.00 to $186.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $112.00 and last traded at $114.65. Approximately 3,086,991 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 7,706,231 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.05.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VST. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $126.75 per share, for a total transaction of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth $222,000. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 12.9% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Vistra by 49.2% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 17,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,082,000 after acquiring an additional 5,788 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Vistra by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,190,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,146,000 after purchasing an additional 77,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $146.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.62%.

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.