Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 3.6% on Insider Selling

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 3.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $155.35 and last traded at $156.80. 1,308,796 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 6,867,301 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.66.

Specifically, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at $51,352,424.58. This represents a 39.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VST. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 5.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50-day moving average is $129.97 and its 200-day moving average is $101.03.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.