AES Corp vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? AES Corp trades at $14.72 (market cap $10.49B), while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF trades at $381.99. The key difference: AES Corp pays a 4.79% dividend while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF pays none, and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, AES Corp nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AES | VTI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.49B | — |
Sector | Utilities | — |
52-Week High | $17.28 | $381.78 |
52-Week Low | $12.51 | $311.68 |
Enterprise Value | $40.75B | — |
Dividend Yield | 4.79% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AES trades at $14.73, down slightly by 0.03%, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company shows strong profitability with a 14.34% net income margin and 45.05% ROE, supported by recent earnings beats. A pending $33.4 billion acquisition by a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners and EQT, approved by stockholders in June 2026, dominates recent news, alongside a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share.
The outlook is heavily influenced by the acquisition, offering a near-term upside to the $15 buyout price, but regulatory and shareholder approval risks remain. Long-term fundamentals are solid with projected revenue growth to $13.1 billion in 2026, though high debt levels and integration challenges post-acquisition pose risks. Analyst sentiment is mixed with a buy consensus of 43%.
VTI trades at $381.95, up 0.08% today, with a bullish technical signal driven by moving averages, though oscillators are neutral and RSI levels suggest overbought conditions. The ETF offers broad diversification with over 3,500 holdings and a low 0.03% expense ratio, as noted by The Motley Fool on August 11, 2026. Recent institutional activity includes mixed buying and selling, with a dividend scheduled for June 30, 2026.
Outlook remains positive for long-term investors due to low costs and market-wide exposure, but risks include market volatility and concentration in large-cap tech. Analyst sentiment is generally favorable, emphasizing VTI's role in foundational portfolios, though current high RSI levels indicate potential near-term pullbacks.
Trailing returns across standard periods
AES is a global power company operating across 14 countries and 4 continents. Its current generation portfolio as of year-end 2021 consists of over 31 gigawatts of generation, with the generation mix composed of renewables (43%), gas (32%), coal (23%), and oil (2%). The company has 3.5 gigawatts of generation under construction. AES has majority ownership and operates six electric utilities distributing power to 2.6 million customers.
Read more on AES →The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the index, which represents approximately 100% of the investable US stock market and includes large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. It invests by sampling the index, meaning that it holds a broadly diversified collection of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full index in terms of key characteristics.
Read more on VTI →