Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 21,366 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 21,366 shares at an average price of $213.18, totaling over $4.5 million, resulting in an 8.48% decrease in his stock position.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.226 per share, up from $0.23, with a yield of 0.4% for investors of record on September 19th.
• Vistra's stock showed a price surge of 3.1%, reaching $217.88, amid shifts in institutional holdings where 90.88% of shares are owned by large investors.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.18, for a total transaction of $4,554,803.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 230,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,159,734.36. This trade represents a 8.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vistra Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $6.60 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $217.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,803,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,785,088. The stock has a market cap of $73.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.33. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $198.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced 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). 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,817,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 91.5% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 7,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 3,580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,045,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Vistra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Scotiabank started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. 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 research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Daiwa America raised Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $213.73.

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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