Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Climb 10.3% Following Earnings Beat

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 10.3% on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $125.80 and last traded at $124.5280. 12,347,837 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 133% from the average session volume of 5,303,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.89.

The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.03 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2310 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.54%.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra reported Q3 net income of $1.14 billion and ongoing-operations Adjusted EBITDA of $2.378 billion, up more than 50% year over year. EPS of $3.25 exceeded the cited analyst consensus of $2.98. The company also raised its 2026 outlook, supporting expectations for stronger earnings. Vistra Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a $1.5 billion share-buyback authorization, which could return capital to shareholders and provide support for the stock. Vistra earnings and buyback report
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 revenue descriptions were mixed: some coverage characterized revenue as below expectations, while other reported figures showed it ahead of estimates. Investors may weigh this alongside the stronger profit and guidance. Vistra revenue coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Texas election results have raised uncertainty about potential policy changes affecting data-center growth and future power demand. KeyBanc’s downgrade and earlier analyst estimate cuts have added to caution, though BMO maintained an outperform rating despite lowering its price target. KeyBanc downgrade and Texas policy concerns

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VST. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $222.00 to $221.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Seaport Research Partners decreased their target price on shares of Vistra from $226.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Premier Financial Group purchased a new position in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Up 10.3%

The company has a market cap of $41.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 1.37. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $144.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.81.

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.