Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 1.7% – Should You Buy?

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 17th, 2026

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) rose 1.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $157.25 and last traded at $155.1220. 4,402,701 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the average daily volume of 5,023,348 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.56.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Vistra, while keeping an Outperform rating and a $298 price target, reinforcing the view that earnings can keep growing. Scotiabank Raises Vistra Estimates
Positive Sentiment: News that Vistra secured PJM capacity points to better future revenue visibility, which investors typically view as supportive for utility and power producer stocks. Vistra Secures PJM Capacity
Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting rising demand from data centers and increased capital investments in nuclear, solar, storage, and gas assets suggests Vistra could benefit from long-term load growth and reliable earnings expansion. Vistra Benefiting From Data Center Demand
Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc reaffirmed its Buy rating, adding to the bullish analyst tone around the stock. KeyBanc Sticks to Buy Rating
Neutral Sentiment: Vistra was also mentioned in media coverage and trading commentary as a stock showing momentum, which may reflect investor enthusiasm but does not add new fundamental information. Vistra Rises Higher Than Market

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Vistra in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Vistra from $253.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vistra from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $187.00 target price on shares of Vistra and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.62.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Vistra

Vistra Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $154.00 and a 200 day moving average of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.51. The firm has a market cap of $52.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra (NYSE:VST – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $1.55. Vistra had a return on equity of 105.64% and a net margin of 11.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vistra Corp. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a $0.229 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s payout ratio is currently 15.41%.

Insider Activity

In other Vistra news, CAO Margaret Montemayor sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $736,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,561,600. This represents a 32.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $4,000,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 232,200 shares in the company, valued at $37,152,000. This represents 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,588 shares of company stock worth $6,739,227. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter worth about $746,729,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Vistra by 95.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,638,000 after purchasing an additional 86,393 shares in the last quarter. Payden & Rygel grew its stake in shares of Vistra by 3,118.2% during the fourth quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 35,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 34,300 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,875,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vistra by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 188,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,479,000 after purchasing an additional 48,378 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.