Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 3.9% After Insider Buying Activity

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 3.9% on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The company traded as high as $144.15 and last traded at $143.4220. 4,675,636 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average session volume of 4,894,304 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.08.

Specifically, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke purchased 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $135.99 per share, with a total value of $299,178.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,141,887 shares in the company, valued at $155,285,213.13. This trade represents a 0.19% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.53.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $48.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.23 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $150.53 and a 200 day moving average of $155.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $10,667,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Vistra by 15,825.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 62,386,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,896,343,000 after acquiring an additional 61,994,589 shares in the last quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Vistra during the second quarter worth $961,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $115,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank lifted its holdings in Vistra by 89.5% during the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 23,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,759,000 after purchasing an additional 11,192 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.