Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $150.60, but opened at $174.33. Vistra shares last traded at $172.3560, with a volume of 5,320,671 shares traded.

Trending Headlines about Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra announced 20‑year PPAs to provide >2,600 MW of zero‑carbon energy (2,176 MW operating + 433 MW of uprates) from three Vistra nuclear plants to support Meta in PJM — the deal includes the largest corporate‑backed nuclear uprates in U.S. history, improving long‑term contracted cash flow and ESG credentials. Vistra and Meta Announce Agreements to Support Nuclear Plants in PJM and Add New Nuclear Generation to the Grid
• Positive Sentiment: Major business press and market coverage emphasize Meta’s nuclear deals as the catalyst for the rally, highlighting the strategic link between AI/data‑center demand and stable, long‑duration clean power contracts for Vistra. Oklo, Vistra Rally on Meta Nuclear Deals
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets report the Meta agreements (including coverage on Yahoo, MSN and niche sites), reinforcing investor confidence that Vistra will capture sizeable, contracted demand from hyperscalers — a structural growth story for the utility. Oklo and Vistra Shares Surge as Meta Turns to Nuclear Power for AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and sector pieces note Vistra’s favorable positioning for rising data‑center electricity demand and pricing power among utilities — supportive context but not immediate catalysts. What Is One of the Best Energy Stocks to Hold for?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation/longer‑term pieces review Vistra’s past stock performance and valuation after prior weakness — useful background for investors assessing whether the rally is a durable re‑rating. A Look At Vistra (VST) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: There was unusually large put‑option buying the day before, indicating some traders had positioned for downside or volatility ahead of the news; options flows can signal short‑term hedging or skepticism. (reported by market data)
• Negative Sentiment: Risks: long‑term PPAs and uprates may require capital investment, expose Vistra to project/execution and regulatory risk, and the company has high leverage and a recent revenue miss that investors should weigh as the deal gets implemented.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Vistra from $245.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.40.

Vistra Stock Up 13.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.54, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $171.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.62.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.60 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 32.49%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 41,426 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.32, for a total value of $8,339,882.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 246,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,629,809.04. This represents a 14.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,772,476. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 405,876 shares of company stock worth $76,995,686. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN raised its stake in Vistra by 0.9% in the second quarter. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN now owns 168,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,698,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares in the last quarter. ELCO Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $499,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth about $292,000. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $547,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Vistra by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,099,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,830,000 after buying an additional 35,444 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.