Scott Helm Sells 25,000 Shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Director Scott Helm sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VST traded up $4.76 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $163.59. 7,949,566 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,156,640. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $132.66 and a twelve month high of $219.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.72. The stock has a market cap of $55.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. On average, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current 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 is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Vistra Company Profile

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.