Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading 2.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 2.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $171.68 and last traded at $171.4640. Approximately 4,360,615 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 28% from the average daily volume of 6,088,097 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.80.

Key Headlines Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record full?year 2025 performance with Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA of $5.912B and Ongoing Operations Adjusted FCFbG of $3.592B, both beating the original guidance midpoint (EBITDA ~+$112M, FCFbG ~+$292M); strong cash flow and operational beats support the multi?year growth story. Vistra Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued 2026 guidance that analysts and outlets say reinforces Vistra’s multi?year growth path following the record 2025 results — an encouraging signal for forward revenue/EBITDA cadence. Vistra’s 2026 Guidance Reinforces Its Multi-Year Growth Path
• Positive Sentiment: Elevated options activity suggests institutional/big?money positioning in VST, which can amplify moves on favorable catalysts. Smart Money Is Betting Big In VST Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed: Wells Fargo reaffirmed a Buy and $236 target (bullish), while Morgan Stanley trimmed its target to $215 but kept an Overweight rating — signals of long?term support but some near?term target re?calibration. Morgan Stanley Lowers Vistra (VST) Target While Staying Bullish on Long-Term Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note that VST has lagged peers recently (Moss Landing operational setback), but highlight secular demand from data centers and M&A as potential upside catalysts — a mixed backdrop for valuation. VST Stock Underperforms Industry in the Past 6 Months: How to Play?
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly GAAP results showed an EPS miss (reported $0.55 vs. ~$2.45 est.) and revenue below consensus ($4.58B vs. ~$5.75B), reflecting items that pressured near?term earnings — investors may focus on GAAP volatility and near?term operational issues. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP full?year net income included an $808M unrealized hedge loss (expected to settle in later years), which compresses reported earnings and can spook short?term GAAP?focused investors despite strong adjusted metrics. Vistra Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.73.

Vistra Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $163.23 and a 200-day moving average of $181.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $59.87 billion, a PE ratio of 63.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.40.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.228 per share. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 presently 32.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $3,605,774.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 297,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,290,575.90. This represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 24.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Vistra by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 28,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,376,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Vistra by 37.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vistra during the second quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Vistra by 166.8% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 5,003 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

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.