Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 21,376 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 21,376 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $201.49, totaling over $4.3 million, resulting in a 7.48% decrease in his ownership.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with EPS of $1.01, below the estimated $1.63, and revenue of $4.25 billion against a consensus of $5.15 billion.
• Vistra recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.4% and a payout ratio of 14.35%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,376 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.49, for a total value of $4,307,050.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 264,329 shares in the company, valued at $53,259,650.21. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Vistra Trading Up 3.5%

VST traded up $6.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $206.51. 3,697,422 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,166,474. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $200.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.54. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.33.

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 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were given 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 is 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.85.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 40.5% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company's stock worth $1,253,896,000 after buying an additional 1,864,931 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Vistra by 4.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,553 shares of the company's stock worth $1,196,884,000 after buying an additional 258,983 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $930,080,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Vistra by 25.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,390,000 after acquiring an additional 913,350 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.