Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 21,362 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Vistra CEO James Burke sold 21,362 shares of the company at an average price of $210.83, totaling approximately $4.5 million, resulting in an 8.3% decrease in his ownership stake.
• The company's stock is currently down 1.0% from the previous trading session, with shares trading at $202.15, despite a market cap of $68.49 billion.
• Vistra recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226, representing a 0.4% yield, and this is a positive change from the prior quarterly dividend of $0.23.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,362 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.83, for a total transaction of $4,503,750.46. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 235,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,730,580.40. The trade was a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vistra Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:VST traded down $2.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $202.15. 3,841,124 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,389,351. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $199.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $166.12. The company has a market cap of $68.49 billion, a PE ratio of 32.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be given a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $217.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. City State Bank lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 19,300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 65.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 214 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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