Nucor earnings beat by $0.08, revenue fell short of estimates
IRVING, Texas - Vistra (NYSE:VST), a $65.8 billion energy company whose stock has surged 116% over the past year, announced Monday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a 20-year extension for its Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio, allowing the 1,268-megawatt facility to operate through 2046. According to InvestingPro analysis, Vistra maintains a GREAT financial health score, indicating strong operational stability.
The approval extends the plant’s operational life beyond its initial 40-year license period. Perry, which first connected to the grid in 1986, is the last of Vistra’s six nuclear reactors to receive a license extension. The company has demonstrated robust financial performance, generating $18.1 billion in revenue and maintaining strong profitability metrics.
"Extending operations at Perry ensures that Ohio continues to benefit from a resilient source of baseload power, supporting jobs, economic activity, and grid reliability across the region," said Jim Burke, president and CEO of Vistra, in a press release statement.
The Perry plant employs approximately 600 full-time staff and more than 200 permanent contractors. Its regular refueling outages bring in 800 to 1,200 additional skilled technicians, generating economic activity for local businesses.
With this approval, all six of Vistra’s nuclear reactors are now licensed to operate for a total of 60 years. The company’s other nuclear facilities include Beaver Valley units in Pennsylvania (licensed through 2036 and 2047), Davis-Besse in Ohio (through 2037), and Comanche Peak units in Texas (through 2050 and 2053).
Vistra’s nuclear fleet has a combined capacity to generate more than 6,500 MW of emission-free energy, enough to power approximately 3.25 million homes, according to the company.
The Fortune 500 company submitted its application for the Perry plant’s license renewal to the NRC in 2023.
In other recent news, Vistra Energy reported a substantial miss in its Q1 2025 earnings, with earnings per share (EPS) at $0.45 compared to the forecasted $1.19. Revenue also fell short, coming in at $3.93 billion against an expected $4.46 billion. Despite these figures, the company has reaffirmed its 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance of $5.5 billion to $6.1 billion. In a significant development, Vistra Corp announced the acquisition of seven natural gas generation facilities from Lotus Infrastructure Partners for $1.9 billion, a move expected to enhance cash flow per share from the first year post-closing.
Meanwhile, Moody’s Ratings downgraded Vistra Holdings Limited’s corporate family rating to B2 from B1, citing high financial leverage expected to persist through 2025-26. The outlook was revised to stable, reflecting expectations of gradual deleveraging. On the analyst front, UBS raised its price target for Vistra Energy to $207 from $160, maintaining a Buy rating due to a strong demand outlook and pricing bias in the power sector. UBS highlighted the potential growth opportunities for Vistra through future contracting for gas assets. These recent developments underscore the dynamic environment in which Vistra operates, with significant activities in earnings, acquisitions, and market assessments shaping its trajectory.
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