Vistra Stock Falls; Halliburton Shares Climb as Oil Rises

• An analyst’s downgrade weighed on a high-flying utility stock on Tuesday, while an uptick in oil prices helped drive gains for an oilfield services giant and its peers.

• Vistra moved lower after Jefferies downgraded the power generator’s stock, citing valuation concerns and political uncertainty.

• Crude oil futures prices moved higher as oversupply concerns eased. Shares of oilfield services firms Halliburton and Baker Hughes gained ground.

Shares of a recently-hot utility company tumbled Tuesday as an analyst questioned their valuation, while oilfield services stocks were boosted by rising crude oil futures prices.

Major U.S. equities indexes retreated from record levels as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he sees a challenging path ahead for the central bank following last week’s rate cut. The S&P 500 lost 0.6% on Tuesday. The Dow closed 0.2% lower, while the Nasdaq fell nearly 1%. For more reporting from Investopedia on the day’s market action, see here.

Shares of Generac Holdings (GNRC), a supplier of standby power generators and other energy equipment, fell the most of any S&P 500 stock on Tuesday, dropping more than 10%. Although analysts at Stifel reiterated their “buy” rating on Generac stock, pointing to promising opportunities in providing emergency power backup solutions for data centers, they noted headwinds in the market for home standby generators.

Jefferies downgraded Vistra (VST) stock to “hold” from “buy” and reduced its price target. Shares of the electric utility company dropped 6.3%. Analysts noted that the stock is trading near its all-time high, pushed upward by enthusiasm about demand from power-intensive data centers. The firm also expressed concern that Vistra has yet to announce a data center agreement for its Comanche Peak nuclear facility in Texas.

Shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) slipped 4.7% after a judge in Austria ruled in favor of a competitor that intends to create a competing version of Eylea, the treatment for eye disorders that accounts for a significant portion of its revenue. The news added to concerns about declines in Regeneron’s revenue growth and operating margins.

Crude oil futures prices ticked higher as a plan to resume oil exports from Iraq’s Kurdistan region hit a roadblock, helping alleviate concerns about global oversupply. Energy was the top-performing sector on Tuesday. Shares of oilfield services giant Halliburton (HAL) rose 7.3%, notching the S&P 500’s top daily performance, while Baker Hughes (BKR) gained 2.6%.

Shares of McKesson (MCK) advanced 6.4% after the distributor of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies increased its adjusted profit guidance for fiscal 2026 and raised its long-term growth target. The company recently announced a restructuring plan and said it intends to accelerate growth by concentrating on high-margin areas such as cancer medications.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) shares jumped 6% following a report that Makan Delrahim, who served as an antitrust official during the first Trump administration, was in negotiations to join the company. Delrahim’s potential employment comes as Paramount Skydance is reportedly considering a bid to acquire media and entertainment rival Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

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