Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 0.5% Following Insider Selling

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) fell 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $144.60 and last traded at $145.30. 972,824 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 6,782,268 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.00.

Specifically, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares in the company, valued at $47,990,029.50. This trade represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VST. BNP Paribas started coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $105.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $149.10.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $49.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.16. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $139.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.85.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.42%.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VST. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vistra by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,596,000 after buying an additional 1,143,918 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Vistra by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,355,255 shares of the company's stock worth $1,938,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,402 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,781,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,307 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Vistra by 315.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,096,000 after acquiring an additional 893,093 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.