Short Interest in Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEARCA:VPU) Decreases By 42.3%

Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEARCA:VPU) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totaling 69,903 shares, a decline of 42.3% from the May 31st total of 121,228 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 256,473 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Vanguard Utilities ETF Trading Up 2.2%

NYSEARCA:VPU traded up $4.16 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $197.54. 271,969 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 261,696. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $194.78 and its 200-day moving average is $194.21. Vanguard Utilities ETF has a 12-month low of $173.75 and a 12-month high of $206.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vanguard Utilities ETF

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VPU. Morgan Stanley raised its position in 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 grew its stake in shares of Vanguard Utilities ETF by 3.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,042,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,523,000 after buying an additional 38,435 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Vanguard Utilities ETF by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 893,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,271,000 after buying an additional 60,554 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings 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 worth $124,723,000 after buying an additional 12,760 shares during the period. Finally, New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $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.