Investors Purchase High Volume of Vistra Call Options (NYSE:VST)

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders acquired 16,203 call options on the company. This is an increase of 57% compared to the typical daily volume of 10,296 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 86,517 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.11, for a total transaction of $5,114,019.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,069,030.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carrie Lee Kirby sold 72,748 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.63, for a total transaction of $4,556,207.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,536,508.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 257,285 shares of company stock valued at $15,404,397 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the first quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 160.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Vistra by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST traded up $0.15 on Monday, hitting $81.64. The stock had a trading volume of 5,182,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,102,543. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.18. Vistra has a 52-week low of $23.24 and a 52-week high of $83.61. The company has a market capitalization of $28.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.79 and a 200-day moving average of $48.28.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($1.02). The business had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.48 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 10.10%. Equities analysts expect that Vistra will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.218 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Vistra from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Vistra from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.20.

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.