Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 7.5% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 7.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $160.28 and last traded at $156.8420. Approximately 1,046,234 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 3,766,886 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.53.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra agreed to buy Cogentrix Energy for roughly $4.0–$4.7 billion, adding about 5,500 MW of modern natural‑gas generation and expanding its scale to ~50,000 MW. Management forecasts mid‑single‑digit EPS accretion in 2027 and high single‑digit accretion on average for 2027–2029 — a clear growth and earnings‑accretion message that initially lifted the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The deal positions Vistra to sell reliable, dispatchable power to fast‑growing demand centers (including AI/data centers), which is a strategic theme investors value right now and helped drive the stock higher on the announcement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts reacted favorably — including a published buy from Wells Fargo — providing additional support to the deal narrative and investor confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra has become a trending stock with elevated retail and institutional attention; interest can amplify moves in either direction as news flows. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: competitors like Constellation are commanding premiums for carbon‑free baseload (nuclear) as data‑center demand rises; investors will compare asset mixes and margins across peers when re‑rating valuations. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage and valuation concerns: Vistra’s balance sheet is relatively leveraged (debt/equity in the background data ~5.7). Financing a multi‑billion acquisition risks higher leverage and interest exposure, which can spook investors given a high P/E multiple (background P/E ~57.6).
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/earnings caution: the most recent quarter showed an EPS miss and revenue below consensus, which increases scrutiny on whether the acquisition will deliver the projected accretion and cash flow. Investors appear to be taking profits and re‑rating risk, producing the intraday pullback.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 target price (down from $241.00) on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Daiwa America raised shares of Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $231.40.

Vistra Price Performance

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 $53.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $172.99 and a 200-day moving average of $189.13.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 64.04%. The company had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a $0.227 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total value of $9,456,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,772,476. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 41,426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.32, for a total value of $8,339,882.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 246,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,629,809.04. This represents a 14.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 448,605 shares of company stock worth $85,908,527 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VST. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 1,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its position in Vistra by 0.9% in the third quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in Vistra by 2.0% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC increased its stake in Vistra by 1.1% during the third quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.