BMO Capital Markets Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Vistra (NYSE:VST) Stock Price

Vistra (NYSE:VST) had its price target decreased by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $210.00 to $188.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 50.97% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their price objective on Vistra from $201.00 to $181.00 and set an “outperformer” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Williams Trading set a $202.00 target price on shares of Vistra in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vistra from $212.00 to $198.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $255.00 price target on shares of Vistra and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $203.35.

Vistra Stock Up 10.3%

VST traded up $11.64 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $124.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,508,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,060,803. Vistra has a 1 year low of $110.89 and a 1 year high of $196.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $143.88 and its 200-day moving average is $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Vistra had a net margin of 11.55% and a return on equity of 108.68%. As a group, research analysts expect that Vistra will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, November 6th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $135.25 per share, with a total value of $603,891.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,146,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,044,108. The trade was a 0.39% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.14, for a total value of $3,558,631.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 308,915 shares in the company, valued at $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% 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. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Premier Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners bought a new position in Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra in the third quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vistra reported third-quarter EPS of $3.25, above the $2.98 consensus, and net income of $1.14 billion versus FactSet’s $1.01 billion estimate. Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA rose more than 50% year over year to $2.378 billion. Vistra Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 outlook and announced a $1.5 billion share repurchase authorization, supporting expectations for stronger earnings and shareholder returns. Vistra raises outlook and announces buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed its “Outperform” rating and set a $181 price target, signaling substantial upside from the cited share price. Bernstein rating and target
• Negative Sentiment: Investors still face uncertainty over potential Texas policy changes and their effects on data-center development and electricity demand. KeyBanc’s recent downgrade reflected those concerns. KeyBanc downgrade and Texas policy risks

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. is an integrated energy company that generates and sells electricity and provides related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its retail businesses offer electricity plans and energy services through brands that include TXU Energy and Ambit Energy.

The company owns and operates a diverse generation fleet, including natural gas, nuclear, coal and solar facilities, as well as battery energy storage systems. Its operations serve customers and wholesale power markets across multiple U.S.