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

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s stock price rose 1.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $146.90 and last traded at $144.9370. 3,344,530 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 4,999,084 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.87.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2026 guidance, while growing electricity demand from data centers continues to strengthen Vistra’s long-term power-generation outlook. The company’s underlying EBITDA performance also signals operational resilience despite the revenue shortfall. VST Q2 Earnings Call Balances Data Center Growth With ERCOT Softness Why Vistra EBITDA Growth Signals Strength Despite Revenue Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary point to Vistra’s strategic relevance as a reliable power supplier for artificial-intelligence and data-center growth. This theme could support a valuation recovery if demand translates into stronger contracted pricing and cash flow. Is the AI Power Story Entering a New Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra’s stock underperformance has prompted discussion of a possible contrarian trade, reflecting expectations that strong fundamentals could eventually drive a reversal. However, this is a market strategy view rather than a change in the company’s earnings outlook. Vistra Stock’s Underperformance Could Open Up a Contrarian Options Trade
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $4.02 billion and EPS of $0.76 came in below estimates of $5.46 billion and $1.61, respectively. The earnings miss remains a near-term pressure on the shares, even though EBITDA and other operating metrics were more encouraging. Vistra Q2 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Softer pricing in ERCOT, the Texas power market, is clouding Vistra’s 2027 outlook. Some analysts therefore view the recent progress as insufficient to justify a fresh buy rating, increasing sensitivity to power prices and future earnings revisions. Vistra Has Progress, But Not Enough for a Buy

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $212.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $228.50.

Vistra Stock Up 1.4%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $48.87 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 98.01% and a net margin of 11.55%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total value of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% 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, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents a 9.72% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last 90 days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NFJ Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Vistra by 323.7% in the 2nd quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 5,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $894,000 after buying an additional 4,305 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 1.7% during the second quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 76,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vistra by 10.0% during the second quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $3,490,000. Finally, Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

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.