Amundi Cuts Stake in Vistra Corp. $VST

Key Points

• Amundi cut its Vistra stake by 52.7% in the second quarter, selling 609,838 shares and retaining 546,729 shares valued at approximately $86.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.88% of the company.
• Vistra’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with EPS of $0.76 versus a $1.61 consensus estimate and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected.
• Despite the earnings miss, analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $223.53. Growth opportunities include rising electricity demand, data-center partnerships and Vistra’s diversified generation fleet.

Amundi reduced its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Free Report) by 52.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 546,729 shares of the company's stock after selling 609,838 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.16% of Vistra worth $86,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra may be positioned for a guidance increase as power demand, capacity revenues and operating performance support earnings. A higher outlook could highlight the stock’s potential undervaluation relative to its growth prospects. Vistra: Set For A Guidance Boost, Exposing Its Undervaluation
• Positive Sentiment: One bank reportedly sees substantial upside for VST after its prolonged decline, suggesting the current valuation may not reflect the company’s earnings potential. Vistra Has Edged Lower Throughout 2026: One Bank Says It's On The Verge of Doubling
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see long-term growth from Vistra’s 43,641-megawatt, multi-fuel generation fleet, which reduces reliance on any single energy source and provides exposure to rising U.S. electricity demand. Can VST's Diversified Power Generation Fleet Drive Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Another bullish view values Vistra’s core operations above the current market level and identifies additional upside from data-center agreements, Helix, Cogentrix and Meta power contracts that are not fully reflected in the base valuation. Vistra: The Part Of The Story Investors May Be Overlooking
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra’s AI-related power strategy and expected fiscal 2027 adjusted EBITDA of $7.6 billion to $8.3 billion could support a higher valuation, although the outlook depends on successful data-center partnerships and acquisitions. Vistra: AI Power Provider Meets Load Growth & Acquisition Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory moratoriums could delay new projects, while Vistra’s latest quarterly results missed consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue, providing a near-term reason for investor caution.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $150.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $50.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.25. Vistra Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra's payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. TD Cowen cut their target price on 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 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.53.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, CEO James Burke bought 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. This represents a 8.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 31,988 shares of company stock valued at $5,178,427 over the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation and retail energy businesses, serving residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers primarily across the United States.

Vistra's generation portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar and battery energy storage facilities. Through its retail operations, the company provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy plans under brands that include TXU Energy, Dynegy, Homefield Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company was established in 2016 following the separation of Energy Future Holdings' competitive energy businesses.

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