Vistra (NYSE:VST) CEO Sells $4,421,893.92 in Stock

Key Points

• Vistra CEO James Burke sold 21,368 shares of the company’s stock for a total of $4,421,893.92, decreasing his ownership by 7.55%.
• The company recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.226 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.4%.
• Vistra's recent earnings report showed a miss in earnings per share, with reported earnings of $1.01 against an estimate of $1.63.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) CEO James Burke sold 21,368 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.94, for a total value of $4,421,893.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 261,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $54,157,232.70. This represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST traded up $6.89 during mid-day 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.54. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The firm has a market cap of $69.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 223.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Melius Research raised Vistra to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Vistra from $229.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 price target (down previously from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.85.

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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