Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Sells $2,795,400.00 in Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Vistra Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of Vistra stock traded up $4.48 on Wednesday, reaching $146.00. The stock had a trading volume of 6,122,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,797,742. Vistra Corp. has a 1 year low of $36.81 and a 1 year high of $168.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $138.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.29. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $49.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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 is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in Vistra by 0.7% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its position in shares of Vistra by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 11,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 4.2% during 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. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.