Electric utility Vistra (VST 4.71%) demonstrated some impressive power as a stock on Tuesday. The company's shares enjoyed a nearly 5% increase in price on the back of two price target increases from market professionals following the company's earnings release last week. That jump was well higher than the 1.1% rise of the S&P 500 index on the day.
Two bulls go nuclear
Both of the raising analysts are Vistra bulls, as evidenced by the fact that they maintained their respective equivalents of a buy recommendation.
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The first, Bank of America Securities's Ross Fowler, now believes Vistra could rise to $220 per share. That's up from his preceding level of $214. His peer James Thalacker of BMO Capital made a more dramatic raise, hiking his fair-value assessment to $229 per share from $191.
According to reports, both analysts cited the second-quarter results Vistra posted last week as a key factor in their adjustments. Thalacker also pointed out that, per management's comments, there has been much interest in the operations of one of its nuclear power plants, Comanche Peak in Texas. Nuclear enjoys significant support from the Trump administration.
In July 2024, Vistra received approval from the government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep operating the plant through 2053.
The second-quarter situation
That second-quarter release featured some rather encouraging dynamics. For example, Vistra's operating revenue saw a nearly 11% year-over-year rise to $4.25 billion, although its GAAP net income fell to $327 million from the year-ago profit of $467 million.
