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VSTVistra Corp.Sell4.9·$166.72
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↓Deteriorating
  • Death Cross Falling Knife Pattern→Stable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

Vistra Corp. (VST) Stock Analysis

Recovery setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 2/5ShortHigh Confidence

Utilities · Utilities - Independent Power Producers

Sell if holding. At $166.72, A.R:R 0.9:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: 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

$166.72+13.5% A.UpsideScore 4.9/10#7 of 8 Utilities - Independent Power Producers
QualityF-score4 / 9FCF yield0.07%
IncomeYield0.55%(5y avg 0.98%)Payout15.35%sustainable
Stop $155.05Target $189.22(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 0.9:1
Analyst target$210.25+26.1%20 analysts
$189.22our TP
$166.72price
$210.25mean
$106
$305

Sell if holding. At $166.72, A.R:R 0.9:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 79. Score 4.9/10, high confidence.

Passes 6/8 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, earnings proximity 28d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.

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

Recent developments

updated 2026-10-08
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Fri, Nov 6, 202628d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Sector modifier (Utilities): +1.0
Positive news sentiment (+0.67)
Attractive valuation
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)27.1
P/E (Fwd)16.0
Mkt Cap$56.0B
EV/EBITDA11.8
Profit Mgn11.6%
ROE43.0%
Rev Growth-5.5%
Beta1.38
Dividend0.55%
Rating analysts24

Quality Signals

Piotroski F4/9

Options Flow

P/C1.35bearish
IV75%elevated
Max Pain$95-43.0% vs spot

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.

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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%

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

Bollinger
0.0
Support Resistance
0.4
52w Position
5.3
Gap
7.0

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
8.0
Earnings concerns: 1B/3MYield trap warning: high yield but unsafe
GatesA.R:R 0.9 < 1.5@spotDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Momentum 8.0>=5.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsEARNINGS PROXIMITY 28d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Aggressive
RSI
79 · Overbought
↑ 20D MA↑ 50D MA↑ 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $133.44Resistance $168.11

Price Targets

$155
$189
A.Upside+13.5%
A.R:R0.9:1

Position Sizing

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

Risk Alerts

! asymmetry at 0.9 (below the engine's 1.5 threshold)@spot

Earnings

B
M
M
M
1/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-11-06 (28d)

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. At $166.72, A.R:R 0.9:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Commodity: natural gas (62.0%); V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 79. Prior stop was $155.05. Score 4.9/10, high confidence.

What is the VST stock price target?

Take-profit target: $189.22 (+13.5% upside). Prior stop was $155.05. Stop-loss: $155.05.

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 27.1 (forward 16.0). TrendMatrix value score: 7.1/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about VST?

24 analysts cover VST with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $210.

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