COMPARE · Reviewed July 23, 2026
FE vs VST
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. FE scored 61.9, VST scored 72.0 — VST leads.
Compare another set
FE
FirstEnergy Corp.
61.9
$49.49 · $28.6B
Score gap
10.1
VST leads
VST
Vistra Corp.
72
$168.98 · $57.0B
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
FE
stronger →← stronger
VST
55
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
64
82
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
89
53
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
66
VST is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
FE
VST
-$1.7bF
FCF
$1.8bC+
+11.3%B
Rev
+15.7%B+
1.99C
D/E
3.67D
1.8xB+
P/S
—
1.72C+
PEG
0.48A
—
P/E
28.2xC
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
FE
VST
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
79% above
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~31%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-57%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-44%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-19%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
FE
Why this score
- Durable high returns
VST
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
FEFirstEnergy Corp.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $28.6b. 5% off the 52-week high of $52.34. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $52.92 (implying +7% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$1.7b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
VSTVistra Corp.
Why now
Utilities - Independent Power Producers · market cap $57.0b. Down 23% from 52-week high of $219.82 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.48 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 18 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $223.06 (implying +32% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 40% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. $57.0b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 3.67 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Beta 1.41 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.