Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Scott B. Helm Sells 20,000 Shares

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 is available at the SEC website.

Vistra Trading Up 3.2 %

VST traded up $4.48 on Wednesday, hitting $146.00. The company had a trading volume of 6,122,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,797,742. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.81 and a 12-month high of $168.67. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $138.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.29. The company has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 16.42%.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 9.6% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 78,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,361,000 after buying an additional 6,920 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,179,000. Blankinship & Foster LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,353,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $263,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $351,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $149.10.

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.