How Does Vistra Stock Stack Up Against Its Peers?
Vistra‘s stock has delivered modest returns over the past year, but how does it truly measure up against utility and energy peers amidst surging electricity demand from AI and the ongoing energy transition? A closer look reveals robust free cash flow, steady revenue growth, and strong hedging, yet a higher valuation compared to many, suggesting operational strength but potentially limited immediate upside despite analysts’ “Buy” consensus.
- VST’s 12.2% operating margin, strong but below EE’s 21.6%, reflects its competitive power generation model versus EE’s regulated utility operations.
- VST’s 5.7% revenue growth, moderate vs. PNW/EE, may stem from competitive generation versus peers’ regulated utility investments and customer growth.
- VST’s 1.8% stock gain and 49.6 PE, despite peers’ stronger returns, points to investor caution regarding its competitive market exposure.
Here’s how Vistra stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| VST | PNW | IDA | ALE | HE | EE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 57.1 | 10.7 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 17.2 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| PE Ratio | 49.6 | 17.9 | 21.8 | 23.7 | 116.0 | 10.9 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 5.7% | 5.7% | -1.9% | -4.3% | 3.3% | 45.1% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 12.2% | 19.4% | 18.9% | 9.2% | 7.2% | 21.6% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 9.6% | -13.5% | -22.7% | -21.5% | 4.0% | 18.0% |
| 12M Market Return | 1.8% | -0.9% | 10.8% | 8.6% | 9.7% | -11.1% |
For more details on Vistra, read Buy or Sell VST Stock. Below we compare VST’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VST | 5.7% | 16.5% | 7.7% | 13.7% |
| PNW | 5.7% | 9.1% | 8.6% | 13.7% |
| IDA | -1.9% | 3.4% | 7.4% | 12.7% |
| ALE | -4.3% | -18.6% | 19.7% | 10.7% |
| HE | 3.3% | -2.1% | -3.9% | 20.0% |
| EE | 45.1% | -26.5% | -53.1% | 178.3% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VST | 12.2% | 23.7% | 18.3% | -8.0% |
| PNW | 19.4% | 19.7% | 17.6% | 16.9% |
| IDA | 18.9% | 17.9% | 17.7% | 19.9% |
| ALE | 9.2% | 10.5% | 9.6% | 8.5% |
| HE | 7.2% | -53.0% | 8.4% | 8.2% |
| EE | 21.6% | 25.3% | 18.2% | 7.8% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VST | 49.6 | 17.9 | 9.5 | -8.0 |
| PNW | 17.9 | 15.9 | 16.2 | 17.8 |
| IDA | 21.8 | 19.9 | 19.1 | 21.1 |
| ALE | 23.7 | 20.9 | 14.2 | 19.0 |
| HE | 116.0 | -0.9 | 7.7 | 18.8 |
| EE | 10.9 | 23.4 | 13.3 | 25.0 |
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