Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEARCA:VPU) Short Interest Update

Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEARCA:VPU) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 292,256 shares, a growth of 318.1% from the June 15th total of 69,903 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 225,750 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Vanguard Utilities ETF Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSEARCA:VPU traded up $1.62 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $199.10. The company had a trading volume of 86,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 257,098. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $194.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.76. The stock has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60 and a beta of 0.59. Vanguard Utilities ETF has a 52-week low of $175.94 and a 52-week high of $206.10.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VPU. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Vanguard Utilities ETF by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,145,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,042,000 after purchasing an additional 37,431 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Vanguard Utilities ETF by 3.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,042,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,523,000 after buying an additional 38,435 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Vanguard Utilities ETF by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 893,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,271,000 after buying an additional 60,554 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Vanguard Utilities ETF by 2.0% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 658,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,723,000 after buying an additional 12,760 shares during the period. Finally, New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vanguard Utilities ETF by 1,879.2% in the fourth quarter. New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 475,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,749,000 after buying an additional 451,410 shares during the period.

About Vanguard Utilities ETF

Vanguard Utilities ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded class of shares issued by Vanguard Utilities Index Fund. The Fund tracks the performance of Morgan Stanley Capital International United States Investable Market Utilities Index, an index made up of stocks of large, medium-size and small United States companies in the utilities sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). This GICS sector is made up of those companies considered electric, gas, or water utilities, or companies that operate as independent producers and/or distributors of power.