Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO James Burke Sells 19,613 Shares

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) CEO James Burke sold 19,613 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total value of $3,669,984.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 295,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,205,826.48. This trade represents a 6.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $199.55 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $199.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.92. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.61 billion, a PE ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Cowen began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in Vistra by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864,931 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,196,884,000 after purchasing an additional 258,983 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $930,080,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Vistra by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares during the period. 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.