Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Down 5.4% – What’s Next?

Posted by Geri Gentry on Aug 4th, 2026

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) were down 5.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $148.45 and last traded at $147.5370. 740,806 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 4,913,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VST. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $229.88.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Vistra

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $49.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $156.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51.

Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The business had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Vistra Corp. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,021,380. This trade represents a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $4,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 232,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,152,000. The trade was a 9.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,588 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,729,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $574,499,000. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $322,660,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 72.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,949,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,524,000 after purchasing an additional 817,876 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 585.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 907,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,425,000 after purchasing an additional 775,104 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

(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.