AES vs. VST: AES vs. Vistra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AES (AES) 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

AES (AES) and Vistra (VST) are both classified in the Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders sub-industry within the broader Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Profile Item	AES	VST
Name	The AES Corporation	Vistra Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-Industry	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization	10.61 billion USD	42.31 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 26, 1991	October 5, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AES

VST

GSPC

AES (AES) 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 AES (AES) and Vistra (VST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Total Return (1Y)	10.79%	-30.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.44%	57.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.12%	49.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AES

VST

GSPC

AES (AES) 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 AES (AES) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.19%	53.39%
Beta (5Y)	0.93	1.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.43%	-48.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.50M	5.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AES 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 AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.26	-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.33	-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: AES (AES) earns 8.68% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

AES

Utilities industry group

8.68%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
AES: 8.68%
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: --

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; AES is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 13.16% and Vistra (VST) at 13.15% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

13.16%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
AES: 13.16%
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%

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 23.89% and Vistra (VST) at 31.12% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AES

Utilities industry group

23.89%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
AES: 23.89%
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%

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
ROE (TTM)	8.68%	--
ROA (TTM)	3.13%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	13.16%	13.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.89%	31.12%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.34%	41.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AES (AES) at -0.37% and Vistra (VST) at 2.98% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: AES (AES) at -46.61% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and Vistra (VST) at -69.98% is weaker still, below its industry range.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.37%	2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.03%	8.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-46.61%	-69.98%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: AES (AES) shows current ratio of 0.86 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.86

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
AES: 0.86
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: --

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; AES is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but VST is more stretched: AES (AES) at 2.43 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Vistra (VST) at 3.73 is above its industry benchmark range.

AES

Utilities industry group

2.43

Max: 2.63
AES: 2.43
Q3: 1.77
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

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.43	3.73
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.28	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

AES (AES) at 4.73% offers top-quartile income, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% sits in the bottom quartile — a wide gap in cash returned to shareholders.

AES

Utilities industry group

4.73%

Max: 6.66%
AES: 4.73%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
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%

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 28.27% and Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pay out less of their earnings than their industries typically do, keeping retention high — common for businesses prioritizing reinvestment.

AES

Utilities industry group

28.27%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
AES: 28.27%
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%

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.73%	0.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	28.27%	15.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 5.97 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Vistra (VST) at 16.80 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AES, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AES

Utilities industry group

5.97

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
AES: 5.97
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

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 0.78 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Vistra (VST) at 2.05 prices around its industry’s middle — AES costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.78

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
AES: 0.78
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

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AES (AES) at 1.86 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.

AES

Utilities industry group

1.86

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
AES: 1.86
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

AES (AES) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AES (AES) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AES	VST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	5.97	16.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.78	2.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.86	16.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-30.54%	--