Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 19,596 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 19,596 shares of stock at an average price of $199.30, resulting in a total transaction of approximately $3.9 million, which decreased his ownership by 7.23%.
• The company recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.226, up from the previous $0.23, representing a 0.4% dividend yield.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Buy" for Vistra with a target price of $218.20, reflecting positive growth outlook based on recent research reports.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 19,596 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.30, for a total transaction of $3,905,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 251,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,108,006. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vistra Stock Up 0.6%

VST stock traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $202.78. 4,220,884 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,717,514. The company has a market capitalization of $68.70 billion, a PE ratio of 32.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.00.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a $0.226 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.35%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its position in shares of Vistra by 132.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. raised 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its position in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 target price for the company. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $218.20.

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.

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