Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $236.00 to $234.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 34.93% from the company’s previous close.

VST has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore raised their price target 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. Three research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $236.60.

Vistra Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE VST opened at $173.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 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 has a 12 month low of $90.51 and a 12 month high of $219.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $163.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.67.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.45 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vistra will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Vistra during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Archer Investment Corp raised its position in Vistra by 2,700.0% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

More 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

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.