Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price Down 1.9% on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) dropped 1.9% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $236.00 to $234.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vistra traded as low as $170.89 and last traded at $173.4240. Approximately 5,410,457 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 6,077,473 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.82.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on VST. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vistra news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Vistra News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Operational beat and AI-driven demand — Vistra said core profit beat estimates, citing stronger power demand driven in part by AI-related loads; this supports the company’s earnings power and growth thesis. Vistra beats quarterly core profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record 2025 operating results and constructive 2026 guidance — Vistra reported Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA of ~$5.91B and strong adjusted free cash flow, and its 2026 guidance was presented as reinforcing a multi‑year growth path, which underpins longer‑term valuation. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet expansion improves market positioning — Announcements about expanding Vistra’s dispatchable fleet should boost its exposure to power market upside and demand from data centers and other large users. Fleet expansion article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view unchanged despite trim — Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly from $236 to $234 but kept an “overweight” rating, implying meaningful upside; the small target cut is a mild signal but not a rating downgrade. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: More color available — Earnings call transcript, slides and multiple analyst write-ups (Zacks, Seeking Alpha, Yahoo/Fool) provide detail for investors to parse operational vs. accounting impacts. Zacks Q4 metrics
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP earnings and revenue misses; large unrealized hedge losses — The quarter showed a sizable EPS and revenue miss against some street estimates, and an $808M non‑cash unrealized commodity hedging loss depressed GAAP results, which likely pressured the stock. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Relative performance concerns — Analyst comparisons (e.g., Zacks piece contrasting VST vs. NRG) note peers may offer stronger ROE, yield or recent performance, which can shift investor preference within the utility/power space. VST vs NRG

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the third quarter worth approximately $1,241,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vistra by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 371,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,784,000 after purchasing an additional 122,545 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,195,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,280,000 after purchasing an additional 70,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 1.7% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,099,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,830,000 after purchasing an additional 35,444 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $163.23 and a 200 day moving average of $181.05. The company has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 62.61, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

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.