Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Vistra Put Options (NYSE:VST)

Key Points

• Investors bought 67,301 Vistra put options, about 69% above typical daily volume, signaling elevated demand for downside protection.
• Vistra shares fell $7.82 to $112.47 in Thursday trading. Its latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.76 versus $1.61 forecast and revenue of $4.02 billion versus $5.46 billion expected.
• Analyst views were mixed: the average rating remained “Moderate Buy” with a $202.43 target, while some firms downgraded or cut estimates. Vistra also announced a small dividend increase to $0.231 per quarter.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 67,301 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 69% compared to the typical daily volume of 39,763 put options.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST traded down $7.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $112.47. The stock had a trading volume of 8,231,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,244,484. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 1.37. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.08. Vistra has a twelve month low of $110.89 and a twelve month high of $196.80.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. On average, analysts expect that Vistra will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.2310 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 22nd. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were 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 owned 1,146,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This trade represents a 0.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,469,648.10. This represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,850,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,672,987,000 after purchasing an additional 79,972 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company's stock worth $516,616,000 after acquiring an additional 32,982 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth $381,938,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: One bullish analysis says Vistra’s shift toward long-term power contracts and capacity-auction revenue should make earnings more predictable. It cites 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance implying 21.8% year-over-year growth and potential additional contribution from Cogentrix and Meta-related contracts not yet reflected in the 2027 outlook. Article: Vistra: The Market Is Underpricing Its Shift To Contracted Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra’s board approved dividends on preferred and common shares, while a separate valuation analysis estimates the shares trade below intrinsic value. These factors may support investor interest, though they have not erased concerns behind the recent pullback. Article: Vistra Could Be 8% Undervalued On Dividend Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank lowered its 2026 EPS estimate to $8.83 from $9.14 but kept its Sector Outperform rating and $189 price target. The estimate cut is a modest negative, while the maintained rating and target indicate continued analyst confidence. Vistra analyst estimate information
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was expected to report third-quarter results on Nov. 6 before market open. Consensus projected revenue growth of about 50% year over year, but the results and outlook could be a near-term catalyst in either direction. Article: Vistra Set for Q3 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc cut Vistra to Sector Weight from Overweight as Texas policy questions intensified after the election. Investors are concerned a possible permit freeze or moratorium could curb future data-center growth and power demand; Texas represents about 28% of Vistra’s EBITDA. The risk is prospective, and most 2027 output is reportedly hedged. Article: Vistra downgraded at KeyBanc as Texas policy questions swirl
• Negative Sentiment: Other commentary also points to regulatory uncertainty and technical weakness as reasons for caution, despite Vistra reaffirming its 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance of $6.8 billion to $7.6 billion. Article: Vistra: Midterms Uncertainty Casts Dark Clouds

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp lowered Vistra from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their price objective on Vistra from $201.00 to $181.00 and set an "outperformer" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Zacks Research cut Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $202.43.

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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