Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 1.4% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) were up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $165.46 and last traded at $164.2920. Approximately 2,060,109 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 5,709,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.99.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Two major credit upgrades to investment-grade (S&P earlier and Fitch recently) improve Vistra’s borrowing profile and reduce refinancing risk, a structural positive for cash flow stability and capital return capacity. Vistra Achieves Investment‑Grade Credit Ratings from S&P and Fitch
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and other Wall Street shops remain constructive, highlighting Vistra’s position to capture rising demand for AI data-center power; Morgan Stanley carries a Buy and a ~$215 target, supporting upside expectations from analysts. Morgan Stanley is Bullish on Vistra Corp (VST) Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains overweight/buy — multiple firms have buy/overweight ratings and a median price target well above current levels, which can support buying interest on dips. Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage pieces are running a valuation check that points to improved fundamentals from the dual investment-grade upgrades plus secular AI demand — a narrative investors may view as a catalyst for multiple expansion over time. Vistra (VST) Valuation Check After Dual Investment Grade Upgrades And Rising AI Power Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor attention (Zacks and others) is driving more coverage and speculative interest, which can amplify moves but doesn’t guarantee direction. Vistra Corp. (VST) is Attracting Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: SEC filings revealed a big jump in CEO pay for 2025 and extensive insider selling (large, repeated sales by the CEO and other executives). Heavy insider disposals can pressure sentiment and raise questions about timing of sales and future share supply. Vistra Corp. ($VST) President and CEO 2025 Pay Revealed
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/valuation headwinds: Vistra recently missed quarterly revenue and EPS consensus, and carries a high reported PE and significant leverage metrics—factors that make the stock sensitive to near-term earnings and power-market volatility (a possible reason for the share decline).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on VST shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.40.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $56.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $163.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.75.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 81.09%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 7 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vistra news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp increased its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.