Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.2% – What’s Next?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price fell 1.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $123.70 and last traded at $124.65. Approximately 974,145 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 6,945,035 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.11.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.30.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.11 billion, a PE ratio of 76.11 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $104.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.78.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.85 billion for 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 prior year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.73 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a $0.2195 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vistra by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 4,772 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,559,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter worth approximately $249,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 15.2% during the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,850,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 221.2% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 67,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,703,000 after purchasing an additional 46,508 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.