Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells $4,355,837.22 in Stock

Key Points

• Vistra Corp. CEO James Burke sold 21,371 shares of the company's stock for $4,355,837.22, reducing his ownership by 8.14% and leaving him with a total of 241,149 shares.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.226, with an ex-dividend date of September 19th, representing a boost from the previous dividend of $0.23.
• Several research firms have recently upgraded Vistra's stock rating, with BMO Capital Markets raising its price target to $229.00 and Scotiabank initiating coverage with a $256.00 target.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,371 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.82, for a total value of $4,355,837.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 241,149 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,150,989.18. The trade was a 8.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE:VST traded up $5.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $207.27. 3,094,416 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,734,123. The stock's 50-day moving average is $199.60 and its 200-day moving average is $166.77. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $90.51 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a market cap of $70.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.62). The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 19th. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. UBS Group raised their target price on Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $218.20.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $17,023,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 213.4% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 6,479 shares of the company's stock worth $893,000 after acquiring an additional 4,412 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 239.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 142,259 shares of the company's stock worth $19,613,000 after acquiring an additional 100,400 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently 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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