Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 5.4% on Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) was down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $233.00 to $227.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $146.21 and last traded at $148.5440. Approximately 5,785,254 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 17% from the average session volume of 4,948,545 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.08.

Several other analysts have also commented on VST. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 price target on Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Three 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares in the company, valued at $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227 in the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Vistra from $208 to $212 and assigned an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside from recent levels. The action reflects continued confidence in the company’s earnings outlook and exposure to rising electricity demand. Benzinga analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra was included among five utility stocks expected to outperform second-quarter earnings estimates. A potential earnings beat could reinforce expectations for another strong quarter following the company’s recent earnings outperformance. Zacks utility earnings article
• Positive Sentiment: Comparative analysis from Zacks and Yahoo Finance ranked Vistra ahead of NRG Energy on return on equity, margins, earnings momentum and market-share gains. The company’s stronger fundamentals may support additional upside despite its premium valuation. Zacks Vistra versus NRG analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high call-option activity suggests increased speculative interest in Vistra’s potential upside, with call volume approximately 30% above typical levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen reduced its price target from $230 to $222 but retained a “buy” rating. The lower target may weigh on sentiment, although the continued buy recommendation signals that the analyst remains bullish overall. TD Cowen Vistra target update
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra’s strategic outlook remains favorable, supported by data-center and hyperscaler electricity demand, reaffirmed 2026 guidance, expected record second-quarter results and a planned $3 billion buyback and dividend program. Seeking Alpha Vistra strategic outlook

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northside Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 139,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,174,000 after buying an additional 6,582 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at $414,000. Tema ETFs LLC raised its stake in Vistra by 10.5% during the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth $2,812,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 73.4% in the second quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $50.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.88 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $156.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.229 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.41%.

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.