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Barchart
Barchart
Jim Van Meerten

Vistra Energy - Filling Data Center Energy Needs

Summary

  • Vistra Corp. (VST) has shown strong technical indicators, including a 46.83% gain since a Trend Seeker buy signal on 9/16 and a 316.20% gain in the last year.
  • The company operates through six segments, serving 5 million customers with a generation capacity of 41,000 megawatts across various energy sources.
  • Analysts have mixed opinions: Wall Street is bullish with a consensus price target of $136, while MorningStar is bearish, citing overvaluation at $46.
  • Barchart highlights VST's exceptional price appreciation but advises caution due to volatility, recommending a disciplined investment approach with regular stop-loss reevaluation.

The Chart of the Day belongs to the independent power producer Vistra Energy (VST)  . I found the stock by using Barchart's powerful screening functions to find stocks with the highest technical buy signals, highest Weighted Alpha, superior current momentum and having a Trend Seeker buy signal then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts for consistent price appreciation. Since the Trend Seeker signaled a buy on 9/16 the stock gained 46.83%.

VST Price vs Daily Moving Averages

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia. In addition, the company is involved in the electricity generation, wholesale energy purchases and sales, commodity risk management, fuel production, and fuel logistics management activities. It serves approximately 5 million customers with a generation capacity of approximately 41,000 megawatts with a portfolio of natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage facilities. The company was formerly known as Vistra Energy Corp. and changed its name to Vistra Corp. in July 2020. Vistra Corp. was founded in 1882 and is based in Irving, Texas. 

Barchart's Opinion Trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 20 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com website when you read this report.

Barchart Technical Indicators:

  • 100% technical buy signals
  • 291.57+ Weighted Alpha
  • 316.20% gain in the last year
  • Trend Seeker buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 19 new highs and up 78.11% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.28%
  • Technical support level at $125.13
  • Recently traded at $131.27 with 50 day moving average of $89.83

Fundamental Factors:

  • Market Cap $48.10 billion
  • P/E 69.71
  • Dividend yield .62%
  • Revenue expected to grow 15.90%this year and another 11.40% next year
  • Earnings are estimated to increase 34.60% this year, an additional 44.40% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of  140.40% for the next 5 years

Analysts and Investor Sentiment -- I don't buy stocks because everyone else is buying but I do realize that if major firms and investors are dumping a stock it's hard to make money swimming against the tide:

  • Wall Street analyst gave 8 strong buy, 4 buy and 1 sell opinion on the stock
  • Analysts' price targets are between $46 and $157 with a consensus of $136
  • Value Line rates the stock os highest rating of 1 with price targets between $50 and $158 and comments: " There are multiple potential drivers of earnings growth over the long haul. These include the rising industrial activity due in large part to the CHIPS Act, population advances (especially across parts of Texas), and the build out of data centers, which together are enhancing electrification of commercial, industrial, and residential loads."
  • CFRAs MarketScope rates the stock its above average 4 star buy with a price target of $140 nad comments:"On March 1, VST completed a merger with Energy Harbor, expanding VST’s retail customer base and its nuclear power portfolio. We expect the merger to support margin growth and improve VST’s competitive position as a clean power provider in an environment of increasing power demand from artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), and other markets."
  • MorningStar give the stock its lowest rating of 1 with a price target of $46 or 200% over valued and comments: "We think the market is overly optimistic about Vistra's upside. The stock has tripled year to date—the best performer in the S&P 500—and trades 2.5 times higher than our $46 per share fair value estimate as of Sept. 25, 2024. We don't include any nuclear-data center contracts in our fair value estimate, in part due to regulatory risk."
  • 18,980 investors monitor the stock on Seeking Alpha

Additional disclosure: The Barchart Chart of the Day highlights stocks that are experiencing exceptional current price appreciation. They are not intended to be buy recommendations as these stocks are extremely volatile and speculative. Should you decide to add one of these stocks to your investment portfolio it is highly suggested you follow a predetermined diversification and moving stop loss discipline that is consistent with your personal investment risk tolerance and reevaluate your stop losses at least on a weekly basis.

On the date of publication, Jim Van Meerten did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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