Rep. Julie Johnson Buys Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Shares

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently bought shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST). In a filing disclosed on March 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Vistra stock on February 12th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH TAX EFFICIENT CORE” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/14/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/14/2025.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $117.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $40.13 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $60.73 and a 52-week high of $199.84. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.53.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.