Vistra (NYSE:VST) Director Sells $36,094.92 in Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Paul Barbas sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.93, for a total transaction of $36,094.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,250 shares in the company, valued at $7,877,272.50. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of Vistra stock opened at $163.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $154.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.61. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $55.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. 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 yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on VST. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

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.