Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 2.9% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Vistra shares fell 2.9% on Wednesday, trading below recent moving averages and near the lower end of their 52-week range, even as trading volume ran above average.
• The company continues to benefit from the AI power demand story, with articles citing stronger electricity needs from data centers, bullish options activity, and new long-term power deals tied to hyperscale customers.
• Vistra’s latest earnings were strong, with EPS of $2.87 easily beating estimates and revenue topping forecasts; the company also raised its quarterly dividend and analysts still rate the stock a Buy on average.

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 2.9% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $139.51 and last traded at $142.5550. 6,333,784 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 5,147,726 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.87.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra was highlighted in a recent article as a potentially attractive AI power stock, with the bull case based on surging electricity demand from data centers and AI infrastructure, plus strong interest from hedge funds and AI-related investors. Is Vistra (VST) Still a Good AI Stock to Buy? Grok Says Yes
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity leaned bullish, with traders buying a much larger-than-normal number of call options, suggesting speculation that the stock could rebound or continue higher.
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent write-ups argued that Vistra is positioned to benefit from long-term AI power demand, including expanded gas-fired generation capacity, new long-term power deals with hyperscale data center customers, and earnings growth potential through 2028. Vistra Expands Gas Capacity And Data Center Ties With AI Power Deals
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment has also been supported by Vistra’s recent quarterly results, which showed a swing to profit on stronger power demand and higher electricity prices, reinforcing the company’s earnings momentum. Vistra Price Performance
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock has also been getting attention from Zacks and other market commentators as a “trending” name, which may be adding visibility but does not itself change fundamentals. Is Trending Stock Vistra Corp. (VST) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive AI-and-power narrative, shares have been trading below recent moving averages and near the lower end of the 52-week range, suggesting investors remain cautious about valuation, leverage, and near-term downside risk.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Vistra from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $241.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vistra from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vistra currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $233.93.

Vistra Trading Down 2.9%

The business's fifty day moving average is $157.67 and its 200-day moving average is $165.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $48.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 105.64%. Analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.16 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.24%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% 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. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company's stock worth $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vistra by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company's stock worth $2,657,891,000 after acquiring an additional 432,028 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company's stock worth $1,441,112,000 after acquiring an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at about $746,729,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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