We recently published a list of 10 Best US Stocks To Buy For Foreign Investors. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) stands against other best American stocks to buy.
In the coming week, the resilience of the US stock market will be challenged as President Trump’s tariff plans and employment report reveal the actual condition of the economy. Price pressures led to the broader market ending the week on a loss, and the benchmark was in correction territory earlier this month. Market experts believe the economy is moving too fast, and there is much volatility, so it is hard to predict the outcome for the coming months. Trump set April 2 as the date he will announce several tariffs.
The Bank of America cautioned investors to prepare for a double-digit correction this year that will shake the stock market. The firm sees the broader market dipping to 5,000 if the economy takes a nosedive and unemployment peaks. However, BofA believes that if the benchmark hits 5,000, it can recover and close the year at 5,500. According to its base case, BofA expects stocks to finish the year higher, with the benchmark oscillating between 5,885 and 6,175 points. This indicates an upside of nearly 7% from present levels. Wall Street experts are also predicting a recession might be in the cards. Markets are currently fretting over soft economic data and awaiting the effect of tariffs.
While the economy is teetering and has investors on edge, some experts see buying opportunities in this market. Laura Champine, Senior Consumer Analyst at Loop Capital Markets, joined CNBC on March 14 and commented that markets are shaky, but there are opportunities in consumer discretionary stocks. This macro environment is suitable for some American companies that can quickly adjust, especially retailers with a loyal customer base and that do not rely on imported products. Some big-box retailers primarily make money from subscription fees, so tariffs don’t threaten their earnings. Moreover, Champine was also bullish on select cruise line stocks, even while the market generally pulls back from travel stocks for now since their cruises are booked for the next year in advance. So earnings won’t take a significant hit in the current environment. The analyst also recommended a US manufacturer of appliances, which has significantly plummeted. Still, she noted that this is the best time to buy because American manufacturers will likely fare well under the current government.
To put buying opportunities in perspective, Wall Street’s AI darling recently went through a slump. According to BofA, this could be an opening for investors who want exposure to semiconductors, GPUs, and AI. Similarly, Jim Lebenthal, Chief Equity Strategist at Cerity Partners, told CNBC on March 10 that the current market offers an excellent opportunity to pick up Magnificent Seven stocks since they’re trading at great prices. Keeping expert advice in mind on how to invest in the present market environment, let’s take a look at the best American stocks to buy for foreign investors.
Solar panel workers installing a new farm for clean energy generation.
Our Methodology
To find the best US stocks for foreign investors, we started from the top of Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 database to identify US stocks. Then, we checked for average upside potential for these stocks to understand what analysts were bullish on. To finalise our selection, we chose the top 10 US stocks owned by elite hedge funds, with an average upside potential of over 30% as of March 30. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the hedge fund sentiment.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
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.
Overall, Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) ranks 8th on our list of the best US stocks to buy for foreign investors. While we acknowledge the potential of VST to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that certain AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VST but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.