Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.4%

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 0.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $115.03 and last traded at $118.02. 1,672,061 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 6,765,682 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Vistra from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.83.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $42.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.40 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.17. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.69). The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 4.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 20th were given a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.37%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 3.0% in the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Vistra by 38.6% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 557 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Vistra by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 36,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.