Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 21,370 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• CEO Insider Selling: Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 21,370 shares at an average price of $205.58, totaling approximately $4.39 million, which reduced his ownership stake by 7.15%.
• Quarterly Earnings Miss: The company reported earnings per share of $1.01 for the last quarter, falling short of analysts' consensus estimate of $1.63, with revenues of $4.25 billion compared to an expected $5.15 billion.
• Dividend Increase: Vistra recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, an increase from $0.23, resulting in an annualized dividend of $0.90 and a dividend yield of 0.4%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,370 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.58, for a total transaction of $4,393,244.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 277,315 shares in the company, valued at $57,010,417.70. This trade represents a 7.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Vistra Trading Up 2.6%

VST stock traded up $5.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $210.96. 5,408,336 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,782,403. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $200.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.32.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Vistra had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a dividend of $0.226 per share. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 1.9% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 73,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,680,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $341,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter valued at about $432,000. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at about $547,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 29.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 255,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,021,000 after acquiring an additional 57,551 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 note on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.58.

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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