Vistra (VST) Competitors

Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) and Vistra (NYSE:VST) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, media sentiment, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Is CEG or VST a better dividend stock?

Constellation Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.55 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Vistra pays an annual dividend of $0.90 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Constellation Energy pays out 16.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vistra pays out 14.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Constellation Energy has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Vistra has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Vistra is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has higher valuation and earnings, CEG or VST?

Constellation Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Vistra. Vistra is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Constellation Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Constellation Energy	$23.57B	5.12	$3.75B	$9.58	40.35
Vistra	$17.22B	3.93	$2.66B	$6.27	31.83

Is CEG or VST more profitable?

Vistra has a net margin of 12.90% compared to Constellation Energy's net margin of 12.12%. Vistra's return on equity of 108.41% beat Constellation Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Constellation Energy	12.12%	21.61%	5.52%
Vistra	12.90%	108.41%	7.71%

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of CEG or VST?

82.2% of Constellation Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.9% of Vistra shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Constellation Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Vistra shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer CEG or VST?

Constellation Energy currently has a consensus price target of $360.06, suggesting a potential downside of 6.84%. Vistra has a consensus price target of $229.31, suggesting a potential upside of 14.92%. Given Vistra's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Vistra is more favorable than Constellation Energy.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Constellation Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.89
Vistra	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	4 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.12

Does the media favor CEG or VST?

In the previous week, Vistra had 52 more articles in the media than Constellation Energy. MarketBeat recorded 55 mentions for Vistra and 3 mentions for Constellation Energy. Vistra's average media sentiment score of 1.06 beat Constellation Energy's score of 0.80 indicating that Vistra is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Constellation Energy	0 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vistra	38 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, CEG or VST?

Constellation Energy has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vistra has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vistra beats Constellation Energy on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.