Vistra saw an improvement in its IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating Friday, from 94 to 96.
The new rating is a sign the stock is outpacing 96% of all stocks when it comes to the most important stock-picking criteria. The market's biggest winners often have a 95 or higher rating in the early stages of a new price run, so that's a good item to have on your checklist when looking for the best stocks to buy and watch.
Vistra is trading about 3% above a 168.67 entry from a cup without handle. Keep in mind that it's a later-stage base, which makes it a riskier entry point.
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One weak spot is the company's 48 EPS Rating, which tracks quarterly and annual earnings-per-share growth. Look for that to improve to 80 or better to show it's in the top 20% of all stocks.
Its Accumulation/Distribution Rating of A shows heavy buying by institutional investors, such as mutual funds and pension funds, over the last 13 weeks.
The company posted 326% earnings-per-share growth for Q3. Sales growth rose 54%, up from 21% in the prior report. The company has now posted accelerating growth in each of the last two quarters.
Vistra earns the No. 1 rank among its peers in the Utility-Electric Power industry group. Talen Energy and Pampa Energia ADR are also among the group's highest-rated stocks.
