This energy stock has tripled in 2024 so far, comfortably outperforming every other stock in the S&P 500 including Nvidia.
Independent power producers like Vistra, Constellation, and Talen Energy have seen massive stock price increases due to surging capacity clearing prices. The broken market equilibrium has led to unusually high prices, benefiting IPPs with increased earnings and favorable forward multiples. GE Vernova, as a key supplier, stands to gain from the demand for power infrastructure, offering a longer-term growth outlook beyond 2028.
Nvidia was No. 1 in 2023 and led S&P 500 stocks for most of 2024, but another AI player has seized the crown.
Should you bet on the S&P 500's top-performing stock in 2024?
Key Points: VST is the top-performing S&P 500 stock, outperforming Nvidia.
Strong ongoing growth in electricity demand from data centers and AI applications encourages a positive outlook for electricity generators. Recent deals with Microsoft and a nuclear power generator imply that the pricing of nuclear-powered energy for data centers has upside potential.
VST recently benefited from its highly strategic solar agreements with AMZN and MSFT, thanks to the generative AI/ data center boom and the insatiable power demand. This builds upon its well diversified clean energy generation across natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage capabilities, significantly aided by the Energy Harbor acquisition. As a result of VST's raised consensus forward estimates, we believe that it remains extremely cheap with a low PEG non-GAAP ratio of 0.50x.
VST has seen earnings and valuation upgrades post key events such as the PJM capacity auction and data center co-location theme. The Harbor Energy acquisition and recent partner buyout of nuclear assets add considerable cash flow growth. Valuation is not expensive at 11x P/cash earnings or a 0.5x PEG ratio, with room for further multiple expansion.
Shares in electric utility Vistra (VST), the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 this year, hit another record high in early trading Thursday before losing ground to close lower.
Shares of Texas-based power generator Vistra (VST) surged nearly 6% higher on Wednesday, the largest daily gain of any S&P 500 stock. Vistra is no stranger to market-leading upticks, having surpassed Nvidia (NVDA) as the top-performing stock in the benchmark index this year.
Stocks levered to nuclear power have done well recently on AI optimism. But an analyst notes that Vistra's efficient gas plants could be “a huge source of upside.
Vistra Corp (NYSE: VST), a Texas-based retail electricity and power generation company, has become the best-performing stock of 2024, surpassing even tech giant Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA). Over the past two weeks, Vistra shares have surged by 200% year-to-date, outpacing Nvidia's 150% gain and catching the attention of Wall Street analysts.