Insider Selling: Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) EVP Sells $33,413,514.00 in Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. The trade was a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Vistra Stock Down 5.0 %

VST opened at $154.54 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $129.97 and a 200-day moving average of $101.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 1-year low of $34.88 and a 1-year high of $168.67.

Vistra declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.221 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group cut their target price on Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empire Life Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $842,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after purchasing an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Vistra by 12.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 50,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,972,000 after purchasing an additional 5,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $1,185,000. Institutional investors 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.