Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $236.40.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VST. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vistra from $236.00 to $234.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. 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 note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on Vistra in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Vistra by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after purchasing an additional 226,514 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vistra by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,441,112,000 after purchasing an additional 97,424 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Vistra by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after purchasing an additional 930,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $930,080,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fitch upgraded Vistra’s long‑term issuer default rating to investment grade, giving Vistra two major agencies at investment grade (S&P was upgraded earlier). That improves funding flexibility and lowers refinancing risk, a clear fundamental positive for a utility with high leverage. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a bullish note reiterating a Buy rating (with a $215 price target), citing Vistra’s exposure to AI infrastructure demand and attractive risk/reward. Positive analyst attention from a major bank can drive buying interest and support multiples. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and price targets well above the current price (median target near $233), which helps sustain institutional demand and upward momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and pathway coverage rose — Zacks and other outlets flagged VST as a name attracting attention, which can amplify intraday moves but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: A new DEF14A filing showed an estimated 2025 CEO pay increase (~$16.0M, +23% year/year) and heavy insider selling recent months — CEO James Burke alone reportedly sold ~662,707 shares (~$134M). Large, concentrated insider sales can be viewed negatively by investors even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Read More.

Vistra Trading Up 3.5%

NYSE VST opened at $170.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.41, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.78. Vistra has a one year low of $90.51 and a one year high of $219.82. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $163.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.75.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 81.09% and a net margin of 5.32%.The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vistra will post 7 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 41.94%.

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.