Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $124.01, but opened at $120.25. Vistra shares last traded at $121.16, with a volume of 1,766,983 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VST shares. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Down 1.0 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $439,442.25. This trade represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 9.6% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after acquiring an additional 6,920 shares during the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth $17,781,000. Finally, Legal Advantage Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at $565,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.