Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Up 10.7% – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price shot up 10.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $162.69 and last traded at $160.3540. Approximately 18,000,655 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 258% from the average daily volume of 5,024,565 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.89.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion for Vistra to uprate and extend the operating lives of its Perry and Davis-Besse plants in Ohio and Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania. The projects are expected to add approximately 433 megawatts of nuclear capacity while shifting much of the upfront capital burden to the federal government. DoE confirms up to $4.2B loan to Vistra
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see the financing as a way to improve Vistra’s growth and earnings visibility without requiring as much of its own capital. The company already has long-term agreements tied to AI-related electricity demand, including a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta and a 20-year, 207-megawatt deal with New Era Energy & Digital for a Texas data center. Vistra Stock Gains as Federal Funds Fuel Nuclear Power Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: A separate Google nuclear-power agreement with Constellation Energy reinforced the broader market view that hyperscalers are willing to secure decades of firm, around-the-clock nuclear power. Vistra and other nuclear generators benefited from this sector-wide repricing. Constellation Energy Google nuclear deal
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity was bullish, with call-option volume rising about 52% above its typical level. Analysts remain generally constructive; BMO lowered its price target to $210 but retained an “outperform” rating. Vistra stock price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra challenged PJM’s proposed resource-adequacy framework at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, arguing that it is discriminatory and could weaken future investment incentives. The outcome could affect regional power-market economics but is not yet resolved. Vistra challenges PJM proposal
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from Vistra’s high leverage and its latest quarterly miss: earnings and revenue fell well short of consensus estimates. The company’s revolving-credit maturity extension improves liquidity, but debt and nuclear-operating risks remain important considerations.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Mizuho began coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.61.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The company has a market cap of $53.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $142.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.11.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2290. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Vistra by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,987,000 after acquiring an additional 79,972 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at about $574,499,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Vistra by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,616,000 after acquiring an additional 32,982 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $468,354,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.