Vistra (NYSE:VST) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.85 EPS

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 9th, 2026

Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.85), FiscalAI reports. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion.

Here are the key takeaways from Vistra’s conference call:

Positive Sentiment: Vistra reported second-quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $1.767 billion, up more than 30% year over year, driven by stronger generation results, favorable hedging, higher PJM capacity revenue, asset contributions, and solid retail performance.
Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $6.8 billion–$7.6 billion and Adjusted Free Cash Flow before Growth of $3.925 billion–$4.725 billion, expressing confidence in achieving at least the midpoint.
Positive Sentiment: Vistra sees sustained power-demand growth in ERCOT and PJM, including record summer peaks and continued data-center, industrial reshoring, electrification, and population-growth opportunities. The company also committed up to $1 billion to Helix Digital Infrastructure and will serve as its preferred power partner.
Negative Sentiment: Lower ERCOT forward prices are creating a headwind for 2027, and management said the current outlook trends toward the lower end of its $7.4 billion–$7.8 billion Adjusted EBITDA midpoint opportunity range, although PJM strength, hedging, and nuclear production tax credits provide offsets.
Positive Sentiment: Vistra expects more than $10 billion of available cash in 2026–2027, with approximately $3 billion allocated to shareholder returns and $4.5 billion–$5 billion earmarked for growth investments. Management retains flexibility to expand buybacks beyond the remaining $1.2 billion authorization and is pursuing additional investment-grade credit upgrades.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE:VST opened at $140.65 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The stock has a market cap of $47.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.56 and a beta of 1.41. Vistra has a fifty-two week low of $132.66 and a fifty-two week high of $219.82.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, Director John R. Sult sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $1,105,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 70,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,021,380. The trade was a 8.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paul M. Barbas sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.00, for a total transaction of $37,332.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,109,918. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Vistra during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Vistra News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

Positive Sentiment: Ongoing-operations adjusted EBITDA increased more than 30% year over year to $1.767 billion, supported by strong power-generation performance and elevated demand during periods of extreme heat. Management reaffirmed its full-year financial guidance. Vistra Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Vistra as a potential beneficiary of rising electricity consumption from artificial-intelligence infrastructure and data centers, including potential large-scale projects in the United States. Its generation fleet, nuclear assets and clean-power investments could support longer-term demand. Vistra Is Seen As A Beneficiary Of Rising AI Power Demand
Positive Sentiment: Vistra declared a quarterly common dividend of $0.23 per share and a semiannual dividend on its Series A preferred stock, reinforcing the company’s income-return strategy. Is Vistra’s Bigger Dividend and AI Power Demand Story Altering The Investment Case
Neutral Sentiment: Before the release, expectations were elevated because estimates called for sharply higher revenue and EPS, driven by clean-power demand, hedging activity, nuclear generation and contributions from the Lotus business. Vistra to Report Q2 Earnings
Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter EPS was $0.76 versus the $2.43 analyst consensus, while revenue of $4.02 billion fell well short of the $5.46 billion estimate. Vistra Earnings Data
Negative Sentiment: GAAP net income was $305 million and included a $472 million unrealized loss on commodity hedges that are expected to settle in future years. The hedge-related loss caused quarterly profit to slip even as the underlying power business strengthened. Vistra Quarterly Profit Slips on Hedging Losses

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on VST shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, June 15th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $293.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $233.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Three equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.88.

View Our Latest Research Report on Vistra

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.