Can VST Gain From Surging Electricity Demand in Its Service Areas?

Vistra Corp. VST is poised to capitalize on rising electricity demand across its core service areas. This demand growth is fueled by the electrification of the oil and gas industry, especially in the Permian Basin, new LNG infrastructure, large-scale AI-powered data centers and the ongoing reshoring of industrial operations in the United States.

The accelerating shift toward clean energy is a significant tailwind for Vistra’s dispatchable generation capabilities, its expansive retail footprint and ability to support grid reliability. Since 2018, Vistra has added 7,922 megawatts (MW) of zero-carbon generation, with additional clean energy projects currently in development to meet growing demand.

As a vertically integrated power company, Vistra can capture value across both wholesale and retail markets. Its robust operations, consistent retail performance and stable earnings across economic cycles reflect the strength of this integrated model. Currently, Vistra serves nearly 5 million residential, commercial and industrial customers and operates approximately 41,000 MW of generation capacity across natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar and battery storage.

VST’s diversified and flexible asset portfolio enhances its resilience in the face of evolving regulatory and environmental requirements. The regulatory extension of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant’s life to 2046, along with solid liquidity and rising output, reinforces Vistra’s ability to thrive amid grid transformation and expanding regional electricity demand.

How Utilities are Gaining From Surging Demand

Utilities are benefiting from soaring electricity demand driven by data center expansion and Permian Basin electrification. These trends are boosting load growth, enabling utilities to invest in grid infrastructure, expand generation capacity and secure long-term revenues through industrial and high-load customers.

American Electric Power AEP and CenterPoint Energy CNP are well-positioned to benefit from data center growth and Permian Basin electrification. AEP is expanding transmission infrastructure to support rising industrial and data center loads, while CenterPoint is enhancing grid capacity in West Texas to meet the increasing power needs of oil and gas operations, driving long-term revenues and system modernization.

VST’s Sales Estimates Move Up

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vistra’s 2025 and 2026 sales indicates year-over-year increases of 28.91% and 4.53%, respectively.

VST Stock’s ROE is Higher Than Its Industry

VST’s trailing 12-month return on equity (“ROE”) is 87.33%, way ahead of its industry average of 10.41%. ROE, a profitability measure, reflects how effectively a company is utilizing its shareholders’ funds in operations to generate income.

VST’s Price Performance

Shares of Vistra have surged 80.5% in the past three months compared with the Zacks Utility- Electric Power industry’s growth of 1.6%.

Price Performance (3 Months)

VST's Zacks Rank

Vistra currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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