Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Up 2.9% – Here’s Why

Posted by George Bondi on May 13th, 2026

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) were up 2.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $152.75 and last traded at $151.9620. Approximately 5,356,275 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 5,140,265 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.72.

Key Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to highlight Vistra as an AI-power beneficiary, citing surging electricity demand from data centers and Grok’s stock-pick ranking that placed VST among its top names. Is Vistra (VST) Still a Good AI Stock to Buy? Grok Says Yes
Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity suggests traders are positioning for a move higher, with call volume jumping well above normal levels.
Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Vistra is expanding gas-fired generation capacity through the Cogentrix acquisition and adding long-term power deals with hyperscale data center customers, which could strengthen future earnings visibility. Vistra Expands Gas Capacity And Data Center Ties With AI Power Deals
Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish write-ups reiterated Vistra as a buy, pointing to projected EPS growth, disciplined acquisitions, and margin visibility from hedging. Vistra: Locked Into A Virtuous Cycle
Positive Sentiment: Vistra also drew attention as a “trending” stock on Zacks and as one of the names favored by billionaire-focused Robinhood stock lists, adding to retail and momentum interest. Vistra Corp. (VST) – Among the 10 Best Robinhood Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VST shares. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price objective on Vistra in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vistra from $240.00 to $231.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $241.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $233.93.

Get Our Latest Report on VST

Vistra Trading Down 2.9%

The firm has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $157.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vistra Corp. will post 9.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.229 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.24%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 10,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total transaction of $1,603,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,340,906.79. The trade was a 8.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Vistra by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 8,312 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Vistra by 37.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the second quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP raised its position in Vistra by 20.0% in the second quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.