Vistra (NYSE:VST) Now Covered by HSBC

Research analysts at HSBC started coverage on shares of Vistra (NYSE:VST) in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. HSBC’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.64% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on VST. Zacks Research cut Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. UBS Group set a $176.00 price target on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $169.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $206.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.20.

Vistra Stock Performance

VST stock opened at $156.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38 and a beta of 1.38. Vistra has a 1 year low of $132.66 and a 1 year high of $203.66.

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). Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Vistra will post 9.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other Vistra news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 22,222 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total transaction of $3,558,631.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James Burke purchased 4,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth $4,610,496,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $468,354,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth $381,938,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the second quarter valued at about $262,169,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the second quarter worth about $138,267,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nuclear financing supports growth outlook: The U.S. Department of Energy’s conditional commitment of up to $4.2 billion for upgrades to Vistra’s Pennsylvania and Ohio nuclear fleet could help fund capacity increases and modernization while strengthening the company’s long-term earnings potential. Department of Energy nuclear investment announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Contracted demand from data centers: Vistra’s 20-year agreements covering more than 2,600 megawatts of carbon-free nuclear power for Meta provide greater visibility into future revenue and highlight potential demand from artificial-intelligence and data-center customers. Vistra and Meta nuclear agreements
• Positive Sentiment: Capital structure simplified: Vistra redeemed all outstanding Series A preferred stock, potentially eliminating an expensive layer of capital and improving the company’s financial flexibility. Vistra preferred stock redemption
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst remains bullish: Morgan Stanley reduced its price target modestly from $227 to $226 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside from recent levels. Shares are also trading above their 50-day moving average, supported by favorable earnings estimates and long-term growth expectations. Benzinga analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings could affect momentum: Vistra’s next scheduled earnings report is November 6, giving investors a near-term catalyst for evaluating nuclear investments, contracted power demand, and management’s outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: Hundreds of institutions added shares in the latest quarter, while others—including Lone Pine Capital—reduced or eliminated positions, suggesting disagreement over valuation and future returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling remains a risk signal: Company insiders made substantially more open-market sales than purchases over the past six months, although CEO James Burke reported buying shares.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.