Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 3.5% on Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) fell 3.5% on Monday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $151.33 and last traded at $154.7020. 4,293,816 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 5,232,458 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.23.

Specifically, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 5,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.96, for a total value of $824,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,825.60. This trade represents a 25.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.33.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $52.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.91 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. Equities research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% in the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $29,875,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $746,729,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 7,556.0% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 7,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,768,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,343,000 after purchasing an additional 192,274 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.