Vistra (NYSE:VST) EVP Scott Hudson Sells 56,000 Shares of Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) EVP Scott Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Vistra Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $175.09 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $197.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $187.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.21, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The company had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 billion. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.227 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Cowen started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $234.21.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. GM Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $598,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 11.1% during the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 57,598 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,285,000 after buying an additional 5,770 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates grew its position in Vistra by 46.7% during the third quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 70,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,832,000 after buying an additional 22,490 shares during the period. Harvest Investment Services LLC grew its position in Vistra by 52.6% during the third quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC now owns 10,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,023,000 after buying an additional 3,559 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vistra by 43.9% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 57,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,182,000 after buying an additional 17,421 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.