How Much is Vistra Energy Corp.'s (NYSE:VST) CEO Getting Paid?

Curt Morgan has been the CEO of Vistra Energy Corp. (NYSE:VST) since 2016. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other large companies. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid.

View our latest analysis for Vistra Energy

How Does Curt Morgan's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

Our data indicates that Vistra Energy Corp. is worth US$11b, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$13m for the year to December 2018. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at US$1.1m. We further remind readers that the CEO may face performance requirements to receive the non-salary part of the total compensation. When we examined a group of companies with market caps over US$8.0b, we found that their median CEO total compensation was US$11m. Once you start looking at very large companies, you need to take a broader range, because there simply aren't that many of them.

So Curt Morgan receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. This doesn't tell us a whole lot on its own, but looking at the performance of the actual business will give us useful context.

You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Vistra Energy has changed over time.

Is Vistra Energy Corp. Growing?

Over the last three years Vistra Energy Corp. has grown its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 60% per year (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 53%.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. Most shareholders would be pleased to see strong revenue growth combined with EPS growth. This combo suggests a fast growing business. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

Has Vistra Energy Corp. Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Vistra Energy Corp. for providing a total return of 37% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

Curt Morgan is paid around what is normal the leaders of larger companies.

Shareholders would surely be happy to see that shareholder returns have been great, and the earnings per share are up. Although the pay is a normal amount, some shareholders probably consider it fair or modest, given the good performance of the stock. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Vistra Energy shares (free trial).

If you want to buy a stock that is better than Vistra Energy, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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