Rep. Julie Johnson Purchases Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently bought shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST). In a filing disclosed on March 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Vistra stock on February 12th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH TAX EFFICIENT CORE” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/14/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/14/2025.

Vistra Trading Up 5.4 %

NYSE VST opened at $124.42 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $155.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.40. 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 has a market cap of $42.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. Vistra Corp. has a 12 month low of $60.73 and a 12 month high of $199.84.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.2235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director John William Pitesa purchased 1,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.75 per share, with a total value of $190,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $439,442.25. This represents a 76.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 24,136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total transaction of $2,997,449.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,341,513.97. This represents a 32.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.83.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.