Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 2.2% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was up 2.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $175.94 and last traded at $175.39. Approximately 4,759,090 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 6,052,472 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.62.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Operational beat and AI-driven demand — Vistra said core profit beat estimates, citing stronger power demand driven in part by AI-related loads; this supports the company’s earnings power and growth thesis. Vistra beats quarterly core profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record 2025 operating results and constructive 2026 guidance — Vistra reported Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA of ~$5.91B and strong adjusted free cash flow, and its 2026 guidance was presented as reinforcing a multi‑year growth path, which underpins longer‑term valuation. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet expansion improves market positioning — Announcements about expanding Vistra’s dispatchable fleet should boost its exposure to power market upside and demand from data centers and other large users. Fleet expansion article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view unchanged despite trim — Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly from $236 to $234 but kept an “overweight” rating, implying meaningful upside; the small target cut is a mild signal but not a rating downgrade. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: More color available — Earnings call transcript, slides and multiple analyst write-ups (Zacks, Seeking Alpha, Yahoo/Fool) provide detail for investors to parse operational vs. accounting impacts. Zacks Q4 metrics
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP earnings and revenue misses; large unrealized hedge losses — The quarter showed a sizable EPS and revenue miss against some street estimates, and an $808M non‑cash unrealized commodity hedging loss depressed GAAP results, which likely pressured the stock. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Relative performance concerns — Analyst comparisons (e.g., Zacks piece contrasting VST vs. NRG) note peers may offer stronger ROE, yield or recent performance, which can shift investor preference within the utility/power space. VST vs NRG

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.60.

Vistra Trading Down 1.9%

The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The company has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 62.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.87.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 32.85%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at $48,290,575.90. The trade was a 6.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Grove Capital LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 43,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,068,000 after buying an additional 20,200 shares in the last quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,081,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $134,000. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co purchased a new stake in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $271,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vistra

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.