Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) EVP Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $159.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $90.51 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.81. The company has a market capitalization of $53.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.42.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Vistra by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.0% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 1.1% during the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.