If You'd Invested $10,000 in Vistra 5 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
Key Points
Vistra stock has grown from $18 a share five years ago to about $142 today -- a 697% increase.
The stock's five-year performance has almost kept pace with Nvidia.
The next five years might not deliver another ninefold gain, but Vistra's outlook looks positive.
- 10 stocks we like better than Vistra ›
On the surface, Vistra (NYSE: VST) sounds like a boring utility stock. Indeed, in some ways it is: The Texas-based company sells electricity to homes and businesses in the U.S. It might keep the lights on, but "thrilling growth stock" is probably not the first phrase that comes to mind.
And yet, if you bought Vistra stock five years ago and held on through the years, you've definitely seen at least the energy side of the company's portfolio light up.
Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Image source: Getty Images.
Five years ago, Vistra was trading for about $17 a share. Today it trades at $142 a pop. Over five years, that's a roughly 663% gain. If you had invested $10,000 in Vistra five years ago, your investment would be worth over $76,350 today.
Here's an interesting tidbit: Over the past five years, Vistra has nearly kept pace with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), which has gained aboyt 854% over the last half decade.
Data by YCharts.
Of course, that last fact isn't a pure coincidence. AI data centers need both chips and power, and Vistra has benefited from at least the latter. What's more, data centers are expected to need tremendous amounts of power in the future. That demand has remade boring ol' Vistra into something that looks like an exciting growth stock.
Granted, the next five years of Vistra probably won't deliver another ninefold gain. And yet for investors who believe electricity demand will keep climbing, this power giant could be worth adding to a diversified portfolio.
Should you buy stock in Vistra right now?
Before you buy stock in Vistra, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vistra wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $417,413!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,341,294!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 950% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 15, 2026.
Steven Porrello has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia and Vistra. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
