Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO James Burke Sells 41,426 Shares

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) CEO James Burke sold 41,426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.32, for a total value of $8,339,882.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 246,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,629,809.04. This trade represents a 14.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $210.96 on Thursday. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $71.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average of $200.50 and a 200-day moving average of $174.32.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Cowen started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $227.58.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 4.0% during the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the second quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the second quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.