Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on VST. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $217.61.

Vistra Stock Up 1.6%

Vistra stock opened at $154.26 on Wednesday. Vistra has a 1-year low of $132.66 and a 1-year high of $217.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $51.78 billion, a PE ratio of 26.06 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $144.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.28.

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

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. The trade was 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. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2.6% during the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 2,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 5.3% during the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its holdings in Vistra by 2.0% in the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Federal loan supports capacity expansion: The Department of Energy announced a $4.2 billion loan to Vistra to modernize its power fleet and expand generation. The financing could help the company benefit from rising electricity demand from AI and data centers, particularly in markets where Vistra already operates. Vistra Stock Surged Following Its $4.2 Billion Federal Loan
• Positive Sentiment: Redemption of Series A preferred stock: Vistra announced the redemption of all one million outstanding Series A preferred shares for $1.0 billion. Eliminating the 8% preferred security could reduce costly preferred financing and simplify the capital structure, though it will require a substantial cash outlay. Vistra Announces Redemption of All Outstanding Series A Preferred Stock
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related power demand remains a growth theme: Coverage highlighted record power demand across the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Texas, reinforcing the investment case for Vistra’s generation assets and potential earnings growth from data-center expansion. Stocks Supplying the AI Data Center Power Crunch
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares remain volatile: Vistra declined sharply on October 14 while the broader market also fell, then recovered in the following session. Recent swings occurred without a new earnings report, suggesting positioning and sentiment are contributing to trading activity. Did the Market Read Vistra Stock Right?
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term valuation may limit upside: An analysis found Vistra’s forward valuation near historical averages and viewed Constellation Energy as having a stronger near-term setup. This suggests investors may already be pricing in much of Vistra’s nuclear and data-center opportunity. Why Constellation Energy Has a Near-Term Edge Over Vistra

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.