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VST vs. WEC: Vistra vs. WEC Energy Stock Comparison

How do Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
Profile ItemVSTWEC
NameVistra Corp.WEC Energy Group Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryIndependent Power and Renewable Electricity ProducersMulti-Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryIndependent Power Producers & Energy TradersMulti-Utilities
Market Capitalization42.31 billion USD38.12 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateOctober 5, 2016March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VST
WEC
GSPC
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC), 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 Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Total Return (1Y)-30.09%7.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)57.95%18.04%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)49.55%9.22%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VST
WEC
GSPC
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC), 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 Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC). 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 WEC Energy (WEC) is defensive at 0.43 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.39%17.21%
Beta (5Y)1.380.43
Max Drawdown (5Y)-48.80%-26.02%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.98M2.71M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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VST and WEC 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 Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.640.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.860.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: WEC Energy (WEC) earns 12.49% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
VST
--

WEC

Utilities industry group

12.49%

Max
17.99%
WEC
12.49%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; WEC is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 17.53% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 13.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
VST
13.15%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

WEC

Utilities industry group

17.53%

Max
28.78%
WEC
17.53%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Vistra (VST) at 31.12% and WEC Energy (WEC) at 25.44% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

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

WEC

Utilities industry group

25.44%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
WEC
25.44%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
ROE (TTM)--12.49%
ROA (TTM)--3.08%
Net Margin (TTM)13.15%17.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.12%25.44%
Gross Margin (TTM)41.52%42.36%

Growth

Revenue Growth

WEC Energy (WEC) at 13.96% 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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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

WEC Energy (WEC) at -0.41% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.98%13.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.92%0.70%
EPS Growth (YoY)-69.98%-0.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--2.63%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: WEC Energy (WEC) shows current ratio of 0.53 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
VST
--

WEC

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
WEC
0.53
Min
0.29
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; WEC is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 1.54 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.

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST
3.73
Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00

WEC

Utilities industry group

1.54

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
WEC
1.54
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Current Ratio (MRQ)--0.53
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.731.54
Net Debt / EBITDA--5.66

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.17% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
VST
0.20%
Min
0.00%

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.17%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
WEC
3.17%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 68.18% 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.

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
VST
15.35%
Min
0.00%

WEC

Utilities industry group

68.18%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
WEC
68.18%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.20%3.17%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)15.35%68.18%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Vistra (VST) at 16.80 and WEC Energy (WEC) at 21.07 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
VST
16.80
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

WEC

Utilities industry group

21.07

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
WEC
21.07
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): 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 WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.69 sits in the pricier quartile — WEC costs more per dollar of sales.

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
VST
2.05
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.69

Max
6.35
WEC
3.69
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: WEC Energy (WEC) at 2.62 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices even higher, above its industry range.

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST
16.10
Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

WEC

Utilities industry group

2.62

Max
3.12
WEC
2.62
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Vistra (VST) vs. WEC Energy (WEC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Vistra (VST) and WEC Energy (WEC)
MetricVSTWEC
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.8021.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.053.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)16.102.62
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)---5.16%