Stock Buyback Plan Approved by Vistra (NYSE:VST)

Vistra (NYSE:VST) declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, November 6th, RTT News reports. The company plans to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of VST opened at $124.53 on Monday. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $110.89 and a fifty-two week high of $196.80. The company has a market capitalization of $41.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $143.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 123.66% and a net margin of 13.15%. As a group, analysts forecast that Vistra will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2310 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Raymond James Financial set a $176.00 price objective on Vistra in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Zacks Research lowered Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Vistra from $227.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Lake Street Capital set a $194.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $228.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 44,444 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,273,219.34. This trade represents a 11.83% 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. 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 that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra reported third-quarter EPS of $3.25, above the $2.98 consensus, and net income of $1.14 billion versus FactSet’s $1.01 billion estimate. Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA rose more than 50% year over year to $2.378 billion. Vistra Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 outlook and announced a $1.5 billion share repurchase authorization, supporting expectations for stronger earnings and shareholder returns. Vistra raises outlook and announces buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed its “Outperform” rating and set a $181 price target, signaling substantial upside from the cited share price. Bernstein rating and target
• Negative Sentiment: Investors still face uncertainty over potential Texas policy changes and their effects on data-center development and electricity demand. KeyBanc’s recent downgrade reflected those concerns. KeyBanc downgrade and Texas policy risks

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company that generates and sells electricity and provides related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its retail businesses offer electricity plans and energy services through brands that include TXU Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company owns and operates a diverse generation fleet, including natural gas, nuclear, coal and solar facilities, as well as battery energy storage systems. Its operations serve customers and wholesale power markets across multiple U.S.