Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 1.4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $135.62 and last traded at $138.02. 764,443 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 6,751,063 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.95.
A number of brokerages have commented on VST. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $149.10.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on VST
The stock has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company's fifty day moving average price is $140.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.68.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.
Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
In other Vistra news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 342,100 shares of company stock worth $55,087,314. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company's stock worth $217,758,000 after buying an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Vistra by 1,358.2% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company's stock worth $105,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 6.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock worth $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,096,000 after purchasing an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.
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.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
Before you consider Vistra, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Vistra wasn't on the list.
While Vistra currently has a "Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.