Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Target Cut by BMO Capital Markets

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target dropped by BMO Capital Markets from $210.00 to $188.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 66.02% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on VST. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Lake Street Capital set a $194.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Vistra from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Vistra from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.00.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST traded down $7.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $113.24. 9,002,360 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,247,821. Vistra has a 52 week low of $110.89 and a 52 week high of $196.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 1.37.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vistra will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 331,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. This represents a 11.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of the firm’s 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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Vistra by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,987,000 after buying an additional 79,972 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Vistra by 1.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,616,000 after purchasing an additional 32,982 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $381,938,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish analysis argues that Vistra’s shift toward long-term power agreements and capacity revenues could make earnings more predictable. One article cites 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance growth of 21.8% and sees potential upside from the Cogentrix acquisition and Meta contracts. Vistra: The Market Is Underpricing Its Shift To Contracted Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Despite the policy concerns, an analysis notes that most of Vistra’s 2027 output is hedged and estimates its free-cash-flow yield at over 10%, suggesting a potential valuation cushion if demand concerns ease. Vistra: Texas Turned Blue, And The 2026 Forecast Didn’t Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report third-quarter results on November 6. Analysts expect revenue of about $7.44 billion, though results and management’s comments on Texas demand and data-center projects may shape near-term trading. Vistra Set for Q3 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: The main overhang is uncertainty after the Texas election: investors fear potential restrictions on data-center development could curb future electricity demand. Texas accounts for about 28% of Vistra’s EBITDA, making policy changes a material risk to growth expectations. Vistra Fell 14% on the Texas Election Vote
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc cut its rating on VST from Overweight to Sector Weight amid the Texas policy questions. Scotiabank also lowered its 2026 EPS estimate to $8.83 from $9.14, although it kept a Sector Outperform rating and $189 price target.
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option buying was unusually high, with 67,301 puts traded—69% above the average volume—signaling elevated demand for downside protection or bearish positioning.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.