Vistra's (VST) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Sanford C. Bernstein

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed its Outperform rating on Vistra and set a $181 price target, implying 45.35% upside from the prior close.
• Vistra shares rose 10.3% to $124.53 on Friday. The company reported quarterly EPS of $3.25, above the $2.98 consensus, and revenue of $6.35 billion versus expectations of $6.03 billion.
• Analyst views are mixed: KeyCorp downgraded the stock, while several firms maintained Buy or Overweight ratings. MarketBeat cited an overall Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $205.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reiterated by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's price target indicates a potential upside of 45.35% from the stock's previous close.

VST has been the topic of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of Vistra from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $212.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $227.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. HSBC began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.00.

Vistra Trading Up 10.3%

NYSE VST traded up $11.64 on Friday, hitting $124.53. 9,947,958 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,298,285. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Vistra has a twelve month low of $110.89 and a twelve month high of $196.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 1.37. The company's 50 day moving average price is $144.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.81.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.98 by $0.27. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.03 billion. Analysts predict that Vistra will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In related news, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total transaction of $6,747,488.08. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vistra during the second quarter worth $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $138,267,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

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.

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