Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells 19,612 Shares

Key Points

• Vistra CEO James Burke sold 19,612 shares at an average price of $188.30, totaling approximately $3.69 million, reducing his ownership by 6.28%.
• Despite the CEO's stock sale, Vistra's shares rose by 2.5% to $190.44, with a market capitalization of $64.53 billion.
• Vistra recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders, with a yield of 0.5%.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 19,612 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.30, for a total transaction of $3,692,939.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 292,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,104,488.60. The trade was a 6.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Vistra Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of VST traded up $4.61 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $190.44. 3,029,633 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,537,574. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $199.60 and its 200-day moving average is $177.12. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $90.51 and a 1 year high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a $0.226 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 19th. 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 0.5%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Cowen initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Four equities research 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 has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $229.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $930,080,000. Lone Pine Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Vistra by 40.5% in the second quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 6,469,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,253,896,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864,931 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 1st quarter valued at about $209,149,000. Alkeon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 280.6% in the 2nd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,356,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,537,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,390,000 after purchasing an additional 913,350 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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