Scotiabank Has Pessimistic View of Vistra FY2027 Earnings

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) – Scotiabank decreased their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Vistra in a report released on Monday, November 2nd. Scotiabank analyst A. Weisel now anticipates that the company will earn $9.95 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $11.16. Scotiabank currently has a “Sector Outperform” rating and a $189.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vistra’s current full-year earnings is $8.92 per share.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.27. Vistra had a return on equity of 108.68% and a net margin of 11.55%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on VST. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their target price on shares of Vistra from $201.00 to $181.00 and set an “outperformer” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Vistra from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Siebert Williams Shank started coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vistra from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vistra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.00.

Vistra Price Performance

Shares of VST opened at $113.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $152.81. Vistra has a 52-week low of $110.89 and a 52-week high of $196.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09 and a beta of 1.37.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VST. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Vistra in the second quarter valued at $4,610,496,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vistra by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 258,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,979,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Vistra by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 177,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,638,000 after buying an additional 86,393 shares during the last quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda bought a new stake in Vistra during the 1st quarter worth about $10,543,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 353.5% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,757,000 after buying an additional 9,112 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Scott Hudson sold 22,222 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 308,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,469,648.10. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO James A. Burke bought 4,465 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $135.25 per share, for a total transaction of $603,891.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,146,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $155,044,108. This represents a 0.39% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.2310 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 22nd. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

Key Stories Impacting Vistra

Here are the key news stories impacting Vistra this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets kept an “outperform” rating and set a $188 price target, although it lowered the target from $210. That target implies considerable upside from the $113 reference price. BMO Capital Markets rating
• Positive Sentiment: Options-market analysis cited by Barchart suggests shares could recover some recent losses after the quarterly update, though this is an expectation rather than a guarantee. Barchart options analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Vistra is scheduled to report Q3 results before the market opens on Nov. 6. Analysts expect improved year-over-year revenue, making the report and management’s outlook potential near-term catalysts. Analyst expectations ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut its rating from “overweight” to “sector weight.” Its estimates of $8.04 EPS for FY2026 are below the cited $8.92 consensus, reinforcing concerns about earnings expectations. KeyBanc downgrade rationale
• Negative Sentiment: Texas election results have raised concerns about potential policy changes affecting data-center growth and future electricity demand. The uncertainty is weighing on Vistra’s growth outlook, even as much of its near-term output is hedged. Texas election and Vistra outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast to $9.95 from $11.16, while retaining a “sector outperform” rating and $189 target. Separately, unusually heavy put-option buying indicates increased demand for downside protection. Vistra analyst and trading updates

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) is an integrated energy company based in Irving, Texas. The company operates across electricity generation, power distribution support, energy marketing and retail electricity sales, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily in the United States.

Vistra owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power generation and energy storage facilities. Its assets include natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable generation, as well as battery storage projects.