Insider Selling: Vistra (NYSE:VST) CAO Sells 4,600 Shares of Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $736,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,561,600. The trade was a 32.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Margaret Montemayor also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, May 27th, Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of Vistra stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $153.66. 2,949,861 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,191,865. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74 and a beta of 1.40. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $132.66 and a 12-month high of $219.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 15.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $233.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.1% during the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during 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 last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.