10 Best US Stocks to Buy For Foreign Investors

8. Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 120

Average Upside Potential as of March 30: 48.21%

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is a Texas-based electricity and natural gas provider to residential, commercial, and industrial customers within the United States and the District of Columbia. The company generates electricity, is involved in fuel production, commodity risk management, and fuel logistics, and is a wholesale energy retailer. It is one of the best American stocks to buy, with an average analyst upside potential of 48% as of March 30.

On December 17, 2024, Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) announced that it had deployed two new solar projects in Illinois. The company’s 1,185-megawatt (MW) Baldwin Power Plant in Illinois will now operate until 2027 instead of closing operations in 2025. Vistra has invested around $135 million in Illinois energy, and the solar facility will generate approximately 140,000 MWh of clean energy for the next two decades.

2024 was a busy year for Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST). The company finalized the acquisition of three nuclear sites, gaining around one million customers and 2,000 new employees and becoming the second-largest nuclear fleet in the US. Vistra also became part of the S&P index and the Dow Jones Sustainability indices in 2024. The company exceeded financial expectations for the year as well. Net income came in at $2.8 billion, with an adjusted EBITDA of $5.65 billion for the full year. This was supported by unrealized gains on derivative positions, adding Energy Harbor to its portfolio, and growth in revenue from nuclear tax credits in Q4. Vistra has repurchased nearly shares worth $4.9 billion since November 2021, with almost 339 million shares outstanding. The company expects to complete repurchases of around $1.9 billion by the end of 2026.

On March 4, BofA upgraded Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) from Neutral to Buy but trimmed the price target from $164 to $152 in light of Vistra’s recent plummeting shares. Analysts noted that the lack of data center announcements sunk the stock. However, they believe that the company’s core operations, including electricity generation and retail, could potentially benefit from strained energy markets in the PJM and ERCOT regions.

Stephen Mandel’s Lone Pine Capital was the largest stakeholder of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) at the end of Q4 2024, with 5.35 million shares worth $738 million. Overall, 123 hedge funds were bullish on the stock, up from 97 funds in the earlier quarter.