Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.4% – Here’s What Happened

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price was down 1.4% during trading on Friday. The stock traded as low as $151.15 and last traded at $152.0620. 5,197,331 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 5,135,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.17.

Key Headlines Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The Department of Energy announced a $4.2 billion federal loan to help Vistra modernize its generation fleet and expand capacity in high-growth power markets. The financing could strengthen the company’s ability to serve data centers and other customers as electricity demand rises. Vistra Stock Surged Following Its $4.2 Billion Federal Loan
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and financial media continue to identify Vistra as a major beneficiary of AI data-center power demand, with generation assets in fast-growing U.S. markets. One article estimates substantial long-term upside if nuclear and power-demand growth persist. Why Constellation Energy Has A Near-Term Edge Over Vistra
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra announced the redemption of all one million Series A preferred shares for $1 billion. Eliminating the 8% preferred stock may simplify the capital structure and reduce preferred obligations, although it also requires a substantial cash outlay. Vistra Announces Redemption of All Outstanding Series A Preferred Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was featured as a top AI data-center stock associated with portfolios attributed to President Trump and Nancy Pelosi. The coverage is largely promotional and does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. President Trump and Nancy Pelosi’s AI Data Center Stock Pick
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded VST from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” adding a clear near-term bearish signal. Recent volatility and a sharp decline earlier in the week may also be keeping investors cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Vistra’s latest reported quarter missed consensus expectations for both earnings and revenue, which may reinforce concerns about execution despite the company’s favorable long-term power-demand outlook.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VST. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group cut their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.74.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $51.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Vistra Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, CEO James Burke acquired 4,465 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth about $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $138,267,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.