Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 0.5% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 0.5% on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $144.60 and last traded at $145.30. 972,824 shares were traded 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $139.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $23,028,000. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $842,000. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,296,000 after acquiring an additional 7,747 shares in the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $17,781,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Vistra by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 50,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,972,000 after acquiring an additional 5,575 shares during the period. 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.