We recently published a list of the 10 Stocks to Buy and Sell Before the Third Quarter 2024 According to Jim Cramer. Since Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) ranks 3rd on the list, it deserves a deeper look.

Jim Cramer in a latest program discussed the changing consumer trends in the US, wondering whether the consumer is just “fed up” of paying high prices and becoming “frugal.” Cramer said this “frugal thesis” is not “obvious” but he has recognized this latest trend based on some new developments. Cramer named a few consumer companies that are benefitting from the changing consumer behavior because of their discounted price offerings. Cramer rejected the notion that dollar stores are cheap. He said these stores raise prices “aggressively” and calling them dollar stores has become a “misnomer.” The CNBC host said the consumers “want prices lower” and that’s why dollar store companies are getting crushed in the new environment.

Jim Cramer also said the “renting society” is winning the “owning society,” pointing to a new trend where consumers are renting boats instead of buying them to enjoy the experience without spending a fortune.

For this article we watched several latest programs of Jim Cramer aired on CNBC and picked some stocks he’s recommending investors to buy or sell. With each stock we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. 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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 79

Texas-based electricity and power Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer is bearish on. When asked about Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) during a recent program, Cramer said:

“It’s a momentum stock, and momentum stocks can’t really withstand that kind of drop.”

Cramer thinks Constellation is a better stock than Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST).

Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) is a power generation company that is also involved in electricity generation and wholesale energy purchases and sales. Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) has about 5 million customers and operates a 41,000-megawatt portfolio of natural gas, coal, nuclear, and solar assets, as well as battery storage facilities.

Citi recently published a list of utilities stocks that it’s bullish on amid the importance of power grids, growth in renewable energy and AI-powered demand. Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) is one of the stocks Citi likes.

Guggenheim analyst Shahriar Pourreza who holds a Buy recommendation and a Street-high price target of $133 on Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) thinks VST is a “unicorn” for its portfolio of both gas and nuclear power plants. Pourreza further said in his note to clients that data centers are exploring 24-hour power sources that are clean and “nuclear plants are a very strong avenue for that”, further adding to his thesis for the stock.

Meridian Hedged Equity Fund stated the following regarding Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:

“Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas. It operates in 12 states and six of the seven competitive markets in the U.S. Vistra’s retail brands serve approximately 2.9 million customers and its power generation fleet totals approximately 41,000 megawatts of natural gas, nuclear, coal, and solar facilities. Vistra was a top performer in the strategy over the past quarter, with its shares rallying over 80%. A key driver has been the thesis that the projected growth of power-hungry data centers, spurred by the rise of generative AI, will increase electricity demand and power prices. This is expected to significantly benefit incumbent power generators like Vistra. The company’s efficient generation portfolio, especially its nuclear and natural gas plants, is well-positioned to capitalize on rising demand, scarcity pricing, and ancillary services in the Texas power market. Vistra is also pursuing opportunities to potentially sign high-margin power offtake agreements directly with data center customers for its nuclear plants, similar to a recent deal by peer Talen Energy and Amazon. We continue to like Vistra’s strong free cash flow generation supporting continued share buybacks and debt reduction, synergies from the recent Energy Harbor acquisition, and a favorable power market backdrop with rising spark spreads. We trimmed the stock following its strong performance during the period.”

Overall, Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) ranks 3rd on Insider Monkey’s list titled 10 Stocks to Buy and Sell Before the Third Quarter 2024 According to Jim Cramer. While we acknowledge the potential of Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST), our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST) but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion “Opportunity” for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.