Vistra (NYSE:VST) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Vistra (NYSE:VST) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03), Briefing.com reports. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.41% and a net margin of 12.90%.The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion.

Vistra Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:VST traded down $4.42 on Thursday, reaching $184.97. The stock had a trading volume of 6,535,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,509,427. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.58. The company has a 50-day moving average of $199.02 and a 200 day moving average of $183.71. The stock has a market cap of $62.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.30. Vistra has a 12-month low of $90.51 and a 12-month high of $219.82.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on VST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $229.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Melius Research raised shares of Vistra to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Cowen started coverage on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 43,074 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.75, for a total value of $8,991,697.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,303,968.75. This represents a 16.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 723,910 shares of company stock valued at $148,086,569. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,910,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in Vistra by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 2,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 37.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.