James Burke Sells 21,367 Shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock

Key Points

• James Burke, CEO of Vistra Corp., sold 21,367 shares of the company on October 17th, representing a 6.97% decrease in his ownership stake.
• Vistra's stock price declined by 4.1% to $186.29, with a market cap of $63.12 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.71.
• Vistra announced a dividend increase to $0.226 per share, up from $0.23, with a current payout ratio of 14.35%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,367 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.66, for a total value of $4,437,071.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 285,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,230,861.80. This represents a 6.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Vistra Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of VST traded down $7.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $186.29. 5,776,911 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,560,928. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $200.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.99. The company has a market cap of $63.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.33. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a $0.226 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. City State Bank raised its holdings in Vistra by 210.0% in the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Melius began coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $229.31.

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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