Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Vistra (NYSE:VST).
And retail traders should know.
We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.
Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with VST, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.
So how do we know what these investors just did?
Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 18 uncommon options trades for Vistra.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 27% bullish and 61%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 2 are puts, for a total amount of $198,160, and 16 are calls, for a total amount of $739,022.
Expected Price Movements
Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $70.0 to $120.0 for Vistra over the recent three months.
Analyzing Volume & Open Interest
Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Vistra's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Vistra's significant trades, within a strike price range of $70.0 to $120.0, over the past month.
Vistra Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days
Largest Options Trades Observed:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VST | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 12/20/24 | $15.7 | $15.6 | $15.7 | $95.00 | $171.1K | 159 | 0 |
| VST | CALL | SWEEP | BEARISH | 01/17/25 | $27.1 | $27.0 | $27.1 | $70.00 | $70.4K | 484 | 48 |
| VST | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 01/17/25 | $22.7 | $22.2 | $22.2 | $80.00 | $66.6K | 1.6K | 22 |
| VST | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 01/17/25 | $27.9 | $27.3 | $27.9 | $70.00 | $58.5K | 484 | 81 |
| VST | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 01/17/25 | $29.1 | $27.3 | $27.8 | $70.00 | $55.6K | 484 | 103 |
About Vistra
Vistra Energy is one of the largest power producers and retail energy providers in the US Following the 2024 Energy Harbor acquisition, Vistra owns 41 gigawatts of nuclear, coal, natural gas, and solar power generation along with one of the largest utility-scale battery projects in the world. Its retail electricity business serves 5 million customers in 20 states, including almost a third of all Texas electricity consumers. Vistra emerged from the Energy Future Holdings bankruptcy as a stand-alone entity in 2016. It acquired Dynegy in 2018.
Having examined the options trading patterns of Vistra, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance
Where Is Vistra Standing Right Now?
- With a trading volume of 3,158,813, the price of VST is up by 3.49%, reaching $91.3.
- Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
- Next earnings report is scheduled for 57 days from now.
What The Experts Say On Vistra
1 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $110.0.
- Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Morgan Stanley continues to hold a Overweight rating for Vistra, targeting a price of $110.
Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.