Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.7% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Vistra shares rose 1.7% on Friday, trading near $155.12 after touching $157.25, with volume slightly below the daily average.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Scotiabank raised earnings estimates and kept an Outperform rating with a $298 price target, while KeyBanc reaffirmed a Buy rating. Across Wall Street, Vistra has a consensus Buy rating and an average target of $230.62.
• Fundamentals and outlook appear solid, with Vistra recently beating quarterly earnings estimates and benefiting from PJM capacity wins and growing data center demand, which could support future revenue and earnings growth.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $157.25 and last traded at $155.1220. 4,402,701 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 12% from the average daily volume of 5,023,348 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.56.

Key Headlines Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Vistra, while keeping an Outperform rating and a $298 price target, reinforcing the view that earnings can keep growing. Scotiabank Raises Vistra Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: News that Vistra secured PJM capacity points to better future revenue visibility, which investors typically view as supportive for utility and power producer stocks. Vistra Secures PJM Capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting rising demand from data centers and increased capital investments in nuclear, solar, storage, and gas assets suggests Vistra could benefit from long-term load growth and reliable earnings expansion. Vistra Benefiting From Data Center Demand
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc reaffirmed its Buy rating, adding to the bullish analyst tone around the stock. KeyBanc Sticks to Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was also mentioned in media coverage and trading commentary as a stock showing momentum, which may reflect investor enthusiasm but does not add new fundamental information. Vistra Rises Higher Than Market

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Vistra and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $230.62.

Vistra Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $52.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $154.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.45. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.229 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. The trade was a 0.46% 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. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northside Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vistra by 4.9% during the second quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 139,784 shares of the company's stock worth $22,174,000 after buying an additional 6,582 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $414,000. Tema ETFs LLC raised its holdings in Vistra by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $968,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,812,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 73.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the company's stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Vistra Company Profile

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.

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