Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 2.6% Following Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price dropped 2.6% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $115.79 and last traded at $118.80. Approximately 2,201,768 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 7,489,485 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.92.

Specifically, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $2,997,449.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 51,063 shares in the company, valued at $6,341,513.97. This trade represents a 32.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Vistra to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.83.

Vistra Stock Up 5.4 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $155.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.40. The company has a market cap of $42.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. 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 Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Vistra by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,539,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,174,326,000 after purchasing an additional 219,055 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Vistra by 63.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Vistra by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Vistra by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,026,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,261,000 after purchasing an additional 296,714 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.