Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.4% After Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares were down 3.4% during mid-day trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $192.81 and last traded at $194.42. Approximately 4,028,116 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 6,564,603 shares. The stock had previously closed at $201.35.

Specifically, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.34, for a total transaction of $4,472,130.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 279,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,605,151.68. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.21, for a total transaction of $4,595,809.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 282,597 shares in the company, valued at $60,817,700.37. This trade represents a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 21,364 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.63, for a total transaction of $4,478,535.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 272,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,020,198.52. This trade represents a 7.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Melius assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vistra from $207.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $229.31.

Vistra Stock Performance

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 $200.46 and its 200 day moving average is $176.99. The company has a market cap of $65.87 billion, a PE ratio of 31.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.33.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 108.41%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Balance Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $622,000. Avaii Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 17.7% during the third quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 21.8% in the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 1,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 0.4% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 595,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,974,000 after buying an additional 2,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth about $397,000. 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.