Peter Thiel acquires 1% stake in Argentina's Vista Energy via SEC filing
Peter Thiel's hedge fund bought a 1% stake in Vista Energy, a major Vaca Muerta shale producer, for $76 million.
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has taken a minority position in Argentina's energy sector. A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Friday reveals that his hedge fund, Thiel Macro LLC, acquired approximately 1.2 million American Depositary Shares in Vista, one of the largest oil companies operating in the Vaca Muerta shale formation. The purchase is valued at roughly $76 million and represents about 1% of Vista's total capital.
The investment comes four months after Thiel met with Argentine President Javier Milei at the presidential palace. Following that meeting, Milei told local media that their discussions covered economic policies and his administration's opposition to wealth taxes. Local outlets have also reported that Thiel recently purchased a mansion in an upscale Buenos Aires neighborhood.
Thiel Macro's declared portfolio stands at $418.7 million, which includes holdings in Vistra, Amazon, and several power and energy firms such as American Electric Power, DTE Energy, FirstEnergy, CMS Energy, and X-Energy.
Vista operates in Vaca Muerta, a formation roughly the size of Belgium located in Neuquen province in Patagonia. The region holds the world's second-largest shale gas reserves and the fourth-largest oil reserves. Vista currently produces 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and has invested over $6.5 billion in Argentina. In May, the company raised its investment and production outlook for the region.
Milei has expressed interest in leveraging Patagonia's open spaces and cold climate for data center development, a proposal that has faced pushback elsewhere in Latin America due to high water and energy demands.