Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.6% on Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 4.6% during mid-day trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $197.70 and last traded at $197.71. Approximately 8,280,167 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 23% from the average daily volume of 6,742,468 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.22.

Specifically, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,371 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.82, for a total transaction of $4,355,837.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 241,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.90, for a total transaction of $4,273,662.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 243,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,729,623. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,360 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.21, for a total transaction of $4,490,085.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 238,520 shares in the company, valued at $50,139,289.20. The trade was a 8.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Vistra from $191.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. 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. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $218.20.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $66.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.53, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.34. The business’s 50-day moving average is $200.07 and its 200 day moving average is $168.58.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th will be paid a $0.226 dividend. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 19th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 14.35%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Banque Transatlantique SA increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 132.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in Vistra by 275.4% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 210.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.