VST Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history
Cash & Leverage
Payout Ratio History
VST Payout Ratio by year
Yearly range of VST’s payout ratio from 2017 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 4.9% to 453.0%, averaging 45.4%.
| Year | Low | Average | High | Year-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22.5% | 24.9% | 27.4% | 22.5% |
| 2025 | 12.1% | 24.2% | 47.9% | 47.9% |
| 2024 | 11.5% | 13.6% | 16.0% | 12.6% |
| 2023 | 7.6% | 9.3% | 11.3% | 7.6% |
| 2022 | 34.0% | 34.0% | 34.0% | 34.0% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% | 12.7% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | 8.4% | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| 2017 | 292.3% | 372.6% | 453.0% | 292.3% |
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What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.
TTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.
- FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
- Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
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