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AEE vs. VST: Ameren vs. Vistra Stock Comparison

How do Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AEE is classified in Multi-Utilities while VST is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers.

Company profile comparison for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
Profile ItemAEEVST
NameAmeren CorporationVistra Corp.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryMulti-UtilitiesIndependent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-UtilitiesIndependent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization31.24 billion USD42.31 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1998October 5, 2016
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AEE
VST
GSPC
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Total Return (1Y)11.92%-30.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.94%57.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)9.71%49.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AEE
VST
GSPC
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Vistra (VST) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Ameren (AEE) is defensive at 0.40 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.76%53.39%
Beta (5Y)0.401.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)-27.46%-48.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M5.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AEE and VST are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.43-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.62-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Ameren (AEE) earns 11.78% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

AEE

Utilities industry group

11.78%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
AEE
11.78%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
VST
--
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; AEE is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ameren (AEE) at 18.59% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 13.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AEE

Utilities industry group

18.59%

Max
28.78%
AEE
18.59%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
VST
13.15%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ameren (AEE) at 31.23% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 31.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AEE

Utilities industry group

31.23%

Max
53.83%
AEE
31.23%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
VST
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
ROE (TTM)11.78%--
ROA (TTM)3.12%--
Net Margin (TTM)18.59%13.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.23%31.12%
Gross Margin (TTM)52.47%41.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ameren (AEE) at 15.43% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Vistra (VST) at 2.98% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Ameren (AEE) at 21.04% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range — a large difference in per-share earnings trajectories.

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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Revenue Growth (YoY)15.43%2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.41%8.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.04%-69.98%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.92%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Ameren (AEE) shows current ratio of 0.74 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

AEE

Utilities industry group

0.74

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
AEE
0.74
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
VST
--
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; AEE is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Ameren (AEE) at 1.57 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 3.73 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

AEE

Utilities industry group

1.57

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
AEE
1.57
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST
3.73
Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.74--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.573.73
Net Debt / EBITDA5.55--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 0.63% and Vistra (VST) at 0.20% offer bottom-quartile dividend income relative to share price versus industry peers.

AEE

Utilities industry group

0.63%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
AEE
0.63%
Min
0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
VST
0.20%
Min
0.00%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ameren (AEE) at 51.48% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

AEE

Utilities industry group

51.48%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
AEE
51.48%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
VST
15.35%
Min
0.00%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.63%0.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)51.48%15.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 19.63 and Vistra (VST) at 16.80 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AEE

Utilities industry group

19.63

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
AEE
19.63
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
VST
16.80
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vistra (VST) at 2.05 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ameren (AEE) at 3.63 sits in the pricier quartile — AEE costs more per dollar of sales.

AEE

Utilities industry group

3.63

Max
6.35
AEE
3.63
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
VST
2.05
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Ameren (AEE) at 2.20 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices above its benchmark range — VST looks rich relative to book.

AEE

Utilities industry group

2.20

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
AEE
2.20
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST
16.10
Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Ameren (AEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ameren (AEE) and Vistra (VST)
MetricAEEVST
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.6316.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.632.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.2016.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-8.06%--