Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 21,365 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 21,365 shares at an average price of $207.55, totaling approximately $4.43 million, which reflects a 7.35% decrease in his ownership stake.
• The company reported earnings of $1.01 per share, missing analysts' expectations of $1.63, alongside a revenue of $4.25 billion compared to expected $5.15 billion.
• Vistra recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.226 per share, which shows an increase from the previous dividend of $0.23, implying a positive shift for shareholders.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,365 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.55, for a total transaction of $4,434,305.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 269,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,907,328.40. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Vistra Trading Down 6.1%

NYSE:VST traded down $12.83 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $197.17. 4,359,597 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,643,853. 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 firm has a market cap of $66.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 52-week low of $90.51 and a 52-week high of $219.82. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $172.05.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. As a group, analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were given a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is a positive change from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Melius began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $229.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $227.85.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 4.0% during the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,734 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the second quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the company's stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the second quarter. Fogel Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the company's stock worth $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the company's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the company's stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.

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