Vistra(US:VST) ZACKS·2024-11-08 16:10Core Insights - Vistra (VST) reported third-quarter 2024 earnings of $5.25 per share, significantly exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.24 by 323.4% and increasing 320% from the previous year's figure of $1.25 [1] - Total revenues for the quarter reached $6.29 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.96 billion by 26.7% and reflecting a 53.8% increase from $4.09 billion in the same quarter last year [2] Operational Highlights - Fuel, purchased power costs, and delivery fees amounted to $2.2 billion, up 4.6% from $2.1 billion in the year-ago quarter [3] - Operating costs totaled $616 million, a 49.9% increase from $411 million in the previous year [3] - Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $411 million, up 15.1% from $357 million a year ago [3] - Operating income reached $2.59 billion compared to $0.83 billion in the year-ago quarter [3] Financial Highlights - Interest expenses and related charges were $332 million, compared to $143 million in the prior-year period [4] - Cash and cash equivalents totaled $0.94 billion as of September 30, 2024, down from $3.2 billion a year earlier [5] - Net cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months of 2024 was $3.2 billion, compared to $4.6 billion in the same period last year [5] - Total capital expenditures for the first nine months of 2024 were $1.6 billion, up from $1.3 billion a year ago [5] Guidance - The company lowered its guidance for 2024 ongoing operations adjusted EBITDA to a range of $5.0-$5.2 billion and ongoing operations adjusted Free Cash Flow Before Growth (FCFbG) to $2.65-$2.85 billion [6] - For 2025, ongoing operations adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5-$6.1 billion and ongoing operations adjusted FCFbG is projected to be in the range of $3.0-$3.6 billion [6] Zacks Rank - Vistra currently holds a Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell) [7]