James Burke Sells 21,371 Shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) CEO James Burke sold 21,371 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.82, for a total transaction of $4,355,837.22. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 241,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,150,989.18. This represents a 8.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Vistra Price Performance

VST stock opened at $207.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.07.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its stake in Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 275.4% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, City State Bank lifted its holdings in Vistra by 210.0% during the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 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.