Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 0.5% on Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares traded down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $144.60 and last traded at $145.30. 972,824 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 6,782,268 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.00.

Specifically, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Down 0.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $49.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $139.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.85.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 1,505.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.