Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 1.9% After Analyst Downgrade

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was down 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.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on VST. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $236.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Vistra News

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $25,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vistra Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $163.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The firm has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a $0.228 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.85%.

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.