Scott A. Hudson Sells 115,000 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Stock

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at $41,849,637.12. This represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Vistra Stock Up 5.5 %

NYSE:VST traded up $8.49 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.63. The stock had a trading volume of 5,325,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,892,560. Vistra Corp. has a twelve month low of $34.70 and a twelve month high of $168.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The company has a market capitalization of $55.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09.

Vistra declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 16.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $149.10.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 44.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra in the first quarter valued at about $348,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 17.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 640,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,645,000 after buying an additional 94,842 shares during the period. Finally, Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $260,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.