Vistra (NYSE:VST) Raised to Strong-Buy at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Vistra (NYSE:VST) was upgraded by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

VST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Research downgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Vistra from $231.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $202.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Friday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.74.

Vistra Price Performance

NYSE VST traded down $2.11 on Thursday, reaching $152.06. The company had a trading volume of 5,204,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,408,404. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $145.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.29. Vistra has a 12 month low of $132.66 and a 12 month high of $210.05.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.82, for a total value of $6,747,488.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 331,137 shares in the company, valued at $50,273,219.34. The trade was a 11.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,610,496,000. State Street Corp lifted 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 during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,436,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,616,000 after purchasing an additional 32,982 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $468,354,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $381,938,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The Department of Energy announced a $4.2 billion federal loan to help Vistra modernize its generation fleet and expand capacity in high-growth power markets. The financing could strengthen the company’s ability to serve data centers and other customers as electricity demand rises. Vistra Stock Surged Following Its $4.2 Billion Federal Loan
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and financial media continue to identify Vistra as a major beneficiary of AI data-center power demand, with generation assets in fast-growing U.S. markets. One article estimates substantial long-term upside if nuclear and power-demand growth persist. Why Constellation Energy Has A Near-Term Edge Over Vistra
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra announced the redemption of all one million Series A preferred shares for $1 billion. Eliminating the 8% preferred stock may simplify the capital structure and reduce preferred obligations, although it also requires a substantial cash outlay. Vistra Announces Redemption of All Outstanding Series A Preferred Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was featured as a top AI data-center stock associated with portfolios attributed to President Trump and Nancy Pelosi. The coverage is largely promotional and does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. President Trump and Nancy Pelosi’s AI Data Center Stock Pick
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded VST from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” adding a clear near-term bearish signal. Recent volatility and a sharp decline earlier in the week may also be keeping investors cautious.
• Negative Sentiment: Vistra’s latest reported quarter missed consensus expectations for both earnings and revenue, which may reinforce concerns about execution despite the company’s favorable long-term power-demand outlook.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated energy company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company operates electricity generation facilities and provides electricity and related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its portfolio includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage assets.

Vistra also operates a retail electricity business that offers power plans, renewable energy options, and energy-management services. Its retail brands include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Ambit Energy, serving customers in competitive electricity markets across the United States.