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Vistra Corp. (VST) Stock Analysis

Recovery setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 2/5Moderate Confidence

Utilities · Utilities - Independent Power Producers

Earnings in 6 days (2026-05-07). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $158.18: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10 and A.R:R 3.8:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.31; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.

Vistra is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company serving approximately 5 million customers across 18 states, with 44,000 MW of capacity. Revenue comes from retail electricity and gas sales, wholesale power markets, and ancillary services. Largest retail... Read more

$158.18+31.5% A.UpsideScore 4.7/10#5 of 7 Utilities - Independent Power Producers
Stop $147.00Target $207.85(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 3.8:1
Analyst target$230.95+46.0%19 analysts
$207.85our TP
$158.18price
$230.95mean
$97
$318

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $158.18: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10 and A.R:R 3.8:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.31; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 53. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (favorable risk/reward ratio, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and death cross (50MA < 200MA) and earnings proximity 6d<=7d. Suitability: aggressive.

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Concentration risk — Supplier: natural gas, coal, fuel oil, and nuclear fuel
Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0)
Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.6), Negative free cash flow

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)70.5
P/E (Fwd)13.8
Mkt Cap$52.1B
EV/EBITDA14.1
Profit Mgn5.3%
ROE17.7%
Rev Growth13.6%
Beta1.50
Dividend0.59%
Rating analysts24

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9

Options Flow

P/C1.31bearish
IV75%elevated

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHSuppliernatural gas, coal, fuel oil, and nuclear fuel
    10-K Item 1A: 'We rely on natural gas, coal, fuel oil, and nuclear fuel for the majority of our power generation facilities.'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers·1 ceiling hit

Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static

Volume
0.0
Obv
1.0
Ma Position
1.0
Rsi
4.5
Macd
6.5
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA, MA slope -2.1%/30d — confirmed downtrend

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Earnings Growth
0.0
Revenue Growth
5.9

Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Fcf Quality
0.0
Roa
2.3
Gross Margin
2.6
Net Margin
2.7
Current Ratio
3.1
Moat
5.0
Operating Margin
5.3
Roe
5.9
Piotroski F
6.7
Earnings quality RED FLAG: -49% FCF/NINo competitive moat
GatesMomentum 2.6<4.5Death cross (50MA < 200MA)EARNINGS PROXIMITY 6d<=7dA.R:R 3.8 ≥ 1.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Aggressive
RSI
53 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $149.88Resistance $168.49

Price Targets

$147
$208
A.Upside+31.4%
A.R:R3.8:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0)
! Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.6), Negative free cash flow
! Momentum score 2.6/10 — below 4.5 minimum

Earnings

M
M
M
M
0/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-05-07 (6d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is VST stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $158.18: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10 and A.R:R 3.8:1 is above the 1.5:1 BUY gate. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 1.31; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 53. Prior stop was $147.00. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

What is the VST stock price target?

Take-profit target: $207.85 (+31.5% upside). Prior stop was $147.00. Stop-loss: $147.00.

What are the risks of investing in VST?

Concentration risk — Supplier: natural gas, coal, fuel oil, and nuclear fuel; Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0); Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.6), Negative free cash flow.

Is VST overvalued or undervalued?

Vistra Corp. trades at a P/E of 70.5 (forward 13.8). TrendMatrix value score: 6.4/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about VST?

24 analysts cover VST with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $231.

What does Vistra Corp. do?Vistra is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company serving approximately 5 million customers...

Vistra is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company serving approximately 5 million customers across 18 states, with 44,000 MW of capacity. Revenue comes from retail electricity and gas sales, wholesale power markets, and ancillary services. Largest retail operations are in Texas with 2.6 million customers.

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