Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price dropped 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $156.60 and last traded at $158.2030. Approximately 7,369,916 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 46% from the average daily volume of 5,061,666 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.38.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra reported first-quarter EPS of $2.90, well above expectations, and revenue of $5.64 billion versus estimates of $5.22 billion, showing strong operating momentum. Conference Call / Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: The company swung to a quarterly profit as rising power demand and higher prices boosted results, reinforcing the bullish demand backdrop for its electricity business. Reuters Article
• Positive Sentiment: Vistra reaffirmed its 2026 guidance for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow, signaling management confidence in the outlook despite market volatility. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: The company also received an investment-grade credit rating upgrade from a second major agency, which can improve financing flexibility and support valuation. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to hold a consensus “Buy” rating on Vistra, suggesting Wall Street remains constructive but not necessarily surprised by the longer-term story. Analyst Rating Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces focused on whether Vistra’s strong multi-year run leaves room for further upside, which may temper enthusiasm even after the earnings beat. Valuation Commentary

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of 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 note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $241.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.93.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $159.25 and its 200-day moving average is $166.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.11, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.43.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). Vistra had a return on equity of 111.30% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 9.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a $0.229 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 41.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This trade represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Vistra by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after buying an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vistra by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,474,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,891,000 after buying an additional 432,028 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after buying an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Vistra by 15.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,392,299,000 after buying an additional 930,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. 90.88% of the stock is 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.