Key Takeaways Equinor agrees to sell its onshore Vaca Muerta stakes to Vista Energy for $1.1B, effective July 2025.EQNR will receive $550M in cash, Vista shares and contingent payments tied to output and oil prices.Equinor expects rising production and cash flow by 2030 from key assets in Brazil, the U.S. and the U.K.Equinor ASA (EQNR) signed an agreement to sell its onshore assets in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (VIST) for $1.1 billion, while retaining its Vaca Muerta offsh ...

On February 2, PING Capital Management disclosed a buy of 101,000 additional shares of Vista Energy (NYSE:VIST), an estimated $4.57 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. What happened According to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated February 2, PING Capital Management, Inc. increased its position in Vista Energy by 101,000 shares during the fourth quarter. The estimated transaction value, based on the average closing price for the quarter, was approximately $4.57 mill ...

Norway’s Equinor has agreed to divest its entire onshore portfolio in Argentina’s prolific Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy in a transaction valued at roughly $1.1 billion, as the company continues to streamline its international upstream footprint. The deal covers Equinor’s non-operated stakes in two shale assets: a 30% interest in Bandurria Sur and a 50% interest in Bajo del Toro. Equinor’s offshore acreage in Argentina is not part of the transaction and remains a core element of its longer-term option ...

Core Viewpoint - Norway's Equinor has agreed to sell its onshore business in Argentina's Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy for a total of $1.1 billion, with half of the payment made in cash and the other half in Vista shares [1] Group 1 - The sale price of $1.1 billion reflects Equinor's strategic decision to divest from its onshore operations in Argentina [1] - The transaction structure includes a combination of cash and equity, indicating Vista Energy's confidence in its future growth potential [1] - Vaca Muerta basin is known for its significant shale oil and gas reserves, making it a key area for investment in the energy sector [1]

Group 1 - Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. has been upgraded from a Hold rating to a Buy by UBS, with a new price target raised from $50 to $65, indicating a potential upside of 22.8% from current levels [1] - The median price target from 12 other analysts on Wall Street suggests an even more bullish outlook, with an average increase of 39.89% [1] - UBS believes that Vista Energy is well-positioned for strong production growth in the coming years and is currently undervalued relative to its long-term prospects [2] Group 2 - Vista Energy has a solid execution track record, demonstrating its ability to meet production goals and manage challenges related to equipment availability and outflow capacity [2] - The company is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in Latin America, with key assets located in the Vaca Muerta play of the Neuquina basin in Argentina, as well as oil-producing assets in Mexico [3] - Vista Energy is set to release its full-year 2025 and fourth-quarter 2025 financial results on February 25, 2026, after market close [3]

Group 1 - Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VIST) is considered one of the most undervalued foreign stocks to buy according to analysts, with UBS upgrading the stock from Hold to Buy and raising the price target from $50 to $65 [1] - Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating on Vista Energy but lowered the price target from $59.6 to $53.2 [1] - UBS analysts have a positive outlook for Vista Energy's production growth, projecting a CAGR of 14% from 2025 to 2028, which exceeds the production outlook of other Latin American companies [2] Group 2 - UBS appreciates Vista Energy's proven execution, resolution of past infrastructure bottlenecks, and flexible capital spending, alongside a high efficiency indicated by a 79.81% gross profit margin [3] - The company is expected to release its fiscal Q4 2025 results on February 27, with Wall Street anticipating revenue of approximately $5.75 billion and GAAP EPS of $2.40 [3] - Vista Energy engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas in Latin America through its subsidiaries [4]

Core Viewpoint - Vista Energy (VIST) is identified as a promising investment opportunity in the unconventional energy sector, with a focus on risk management and potential high returns [1]. Company Overview - Vista Energy is a Mexican-based energy producer specializing in unconventional energy production [1]. Investment Strategy - The investment approach emphasizes finding undervalued stocks with limited risks and decent to high upside potential, advocating for simplicity in investment ideas [1].

Core Viewpoint - Value investing remains a preferred strategy for identifying strong stocks across various market conditions, focusing on fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to uncover undervalued stocks [2]. Group 1: Investment Strategy - The Zacks ranking system emphasizes earnings estimates and revisions to identify winning stocks, while also considering trends in value, growth, and momentum [1]. - The Style Scores system allows investors to find stocks with specific traits, particularly in the "Value" category, where stocks with "A" grades and high Zacks Ranks are considered top value stocks [3]. Group 2: Company Analysis - Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. - Vista Energy (VIST) holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A, indicating strong potential as a value stock [4]. - VIST has a P/E ratio of 5.57, significantly lower than the industry average of 13.21, suggesting it may be undervalued [4]. - The stock's Forward P/E has fluctuated between 5.14 and 9.23 over the past year, with a median of 7.04 [4]. - VIST's P/CF ratio is 3.23, which is attractive compared to the industry's average P/CF of 6.51, indicating solid cash flow prospects [5]. - Over the past 52 weeks, VIST's P/CF has ranged from 3.23 to 6.68, with a median of 5.31 [5]. - These metrics contribute to VIST's strong Value grade and suggest it is currently undervalued, supported by a positive earnings outlook [6].

Core Viewpoint - Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (VIST) shows potential for significant upside, with a mean price target of $69.8 indicating a 41.1% increase from its current price of $49.46 [1] Price Targets and Analyst Estimates - The mean estimate consists of seven short-term price targets with a standard deviation of $12.21, indicating variability among analysts [2] - The lowest estimate is $50.00, suggesting a 1.1% increase, while the highest estimate is $88.00, indicating a potential surge of 77.9% [2] - A low standard deviation signifies strong agreement among analysts regarding the stock's price movement [9] Earnings Estimates and Analyst Agreement - Analysts have shown increasing optimism about VIST's earnings prospects, with a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions [11] - Over the last 30 days, one estimate has increased, leading to a 38.1% rise in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year [12] - VIST holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), placing it in the top 5% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimates [13] Caution on Price Targets - Solely relying on consensus price targets for investment decisions may not be wise, as analysts' ability to set accurate targets has been questioned [3][7] - Analysts often set optimistic price targets due to business incentives, which can lead to inflated estimates [8] - While price targets should not be ignored, they should be approached with skepticism, as they may not reliably indicate actual stock price movements [10]

Core Insights - An institutional buyer, VR Advisory Services, has initiated a new position in Vista Energy, acquiring 368,652 shares valued at approximately $12.7 million, representing 3.1% of the fund's U.S. equity holdings [1][2][3] Company Overview - Vista Energy is a leading independent oil and gas producer in Latin America, focusing on Argentina's Vaca Muerta formation, with a market capitalization of $5.4 billion and revenue of $2.2 billion [4][5] - The company reported a net income of $727.1 million and its shares were priced at $51.97 as of the latest report [4] Financial Performance - In the third quarter, Vista Energy's revenue increased by 53% year over year to $706 million, driven by a 74% increase in total production [10] - Adjusted EBITDA rose by 52% to $472 million, with a margin of 67%, and oil production reached nearly 110,000 barrels per day [10] - Despite higher capital expenditures and negative free cash flow, the company maintained solid liquidity with $320 million in cash [10] Market Position and Trends - The new position by VR Advisory Services indicates confidence in Vista's operational momentum amidst commodity volatility, with shares up more than 50% since the end of the last quarter [6][11] - The fund's investment strategy reflects a pattern of high-conviction bets across emerging markets energy and infrastructure [7]