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VSTVistra Corp.Sell4.4·$146.66
SellHigh Confidence
Investment thesis

Vistra Corp is an independent power producer with 43% revenue growth, a forward P/E of 14.0x, and 32% analyst upside to $202.76 — but the stock has crossed into a death cross pattern below all moving averages, missed earnings in 3 of the last 4 quarters, and carries a debt-to-equity ratio that imposes a -1.5 leverage penalty, making this a high-upside bet on a technically broken chart.

Thesis pillars

  • Strong Revenue Growth Ai Power Demand→Stable
  • Consecutive Earnings Misses→Stable
  • Death Cross Falling Knife Pattern→Stable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Pillars as of Jul 3, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Feb 27, 2026

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

Vistra Corp. (VST) Stock Analysis

Sector Rotation edge

SellVALUE-TRAP 3/5ShortHigh Confidence

Utilities · Utilities - Independent Power Producers

Sell if holding. Momentum 1.5/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $146.66 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7).

Vistra Corp. is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company operating in 18 states and the District of Columbia, with approximately 44,000 MW of generation capacity and approximately 5 million retail customers. Revenue comes from retail electricity sales... Read more

$146.66+27.8% A.UpsideScore 4.4/10#7 of 8 Utilities - Independent Power Producers
QualityF-score4 / 9FCF yield0.08%
IncomeYield0.65%(5y avg 0.97%)Payout15.35%sustainable
Stop $136.39Analyst target $187.40(−10% haircut)A.R:R 2.4:1
Analyst consensus$208.23+42.0%22 analysts
$187.40Analyst target
$146.66price
$208.23mean
$106
$305

Sell if holding. Momentum 1.5/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $146.66 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 4.4/10, high confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (favorable risk/reward ratio, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: aggressive.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-10-28
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Fri, Nov 6, 20268d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Sector modifier (Utilities): +1.0
Attractive valuation
Analyst upside: 28%
Risks
Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%)
V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7)
Leverage penalty (D/E 3.7): -1.5

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)24.7
P/E (Fwd)14.0
Mkt Cap$49.2B
EV/EBITDA10.8
Profit Mgn11.6%
ROE43.0%
Rev Growth-5.5%
Beta1.38
Dividend0.65%
Rating analysts24

Quality Signals

Piotroski F4/9

Options Flow

P/C0.95neutral
IV61%elevated

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHCommoditynatural gas62%
    10-K Item 1: 'Natural Gas| | CCGT, CT or ST| | 26,989 | | | 62%'
  • MEDIUMGeographicTexas
    10-K Item 1: 'The largest portion of our retail operations are in Texas, where we provide retail electricity to approximately 2.6 million customers.'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

Not investment advice. TrendMatrix is not a registered investment adviser. Our content is for informational and educational purposes only. Consult your own licensed investment adviser, broker, or tax professional before making any investment decision.

Conflicts and positions. People who build TrendMatrix, or entities they control, may hold positions, long or short, in securities it covers, and may trade them at any time. Positions are not disclosed individually. Verdicts are generated by an automated model applied by the same rules to every covered stock, and are not adjusted for any position held by the people who build TrendMatrix. We do not accept payment from issuers for coverage.

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No fiduciary duty. No fiduciary, advisory, or agency relationship is created between you and TrendMatrix by reading our content or subscribing to our service.

Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Revenue shrinking — -5.5% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Earnings Growth
0.8
Revenue Growth
1.1
Declining revenue: -6%

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

Macd
0.0
Volume
0.1
Obv
1.0
Ma Position
3.0
Rsi
3.5
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA, MA slope -1.8%/30d — confirmed downtrend

No near-term catalyst priced in. Thesis progression will come from fundamentals grinding, not event reaction.static

Earnings History
0.0
Surprise Avg
0.0
Dividend Safety
4.0
Erm
5.0
Earnings Timing
5.0
News Activity
6.0
Earnings concerns: 1B/3MEarnings in 8 daysYield trap warning: high yield but unsafe
GatesMomentum 1.5<4.5Death cross (50MA < 200MA)EARNINGS PROXIMITY 8d<=14d (soft)A.R:R 2.4 ≥ 1.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
36 · Neutral
↓ 20D MA↑ 50D MA↓ 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $133.44Resistance $168.75

Price Targets

$136
$187
A.Upside+27.8%
A.R:R2.4:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0%
Max %0%
RegimeRisk-Off

Risk Alerts

! momentum at 1.5 (below the engine's 4.5 threshold)
! Death cross — 50-day MA below 200-day MA

Earnings

B
M
M
M
1/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-11-06 (8d)

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. Momentum 1.5/10 is below the 5.0 floor at $146.66 — engine's falling-knife protection flags exit rather than catching a breakdown. Specifics: Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $136.39. Score 4.4/10, high confidence.

What is the VST stock price target?

Analyst target: $187.40 (+27.8% upside). Prior stop was $136.39. Stop-loss: $136.39.

What are the risks of investing in VST?

Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7); Leverage penalty (D/E 3.7): -1.5.

Is VST overvalued or undervalued?

Vistra Corp. trades at a P/E of 24.7 (forward 14.0). TrendMatrix value score: 8.0/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about VST?

24 analysts cover VST with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $208.

What does Vistra Corp. do?Vistra Corp. is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company operating in 18 states and the District...

Vistra Corp. is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company operating in 18 states and the District of Columbia, with approximately 44,000 MW of generation capacity and approximately 5 million retail customers. Revenue comes from retail electricity sales through brands including TXU Energy, Ambit Energy, and Energy Harbor, combined with merchant wholesale generation dispatched across ERCOT, PJM, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO, and CAISO markets.

Related stocks: CEG (Constellation Energy Corporatio) · TLN (Talen Energy Corporation) · NRG (NRG Energy, Inc.) · OKLO (Oklo Inc.)
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