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Should Vanguard Large-Cap ETF (VV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Large-Cap ETF (VV - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 01/27/2004.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $32.89 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.32%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 30.30% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 7.18% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) .

Performance and Risk

VV seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Large Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Large Cap Index includes U.S. companies that comprise the top 85% of investable market capitalization and are traded on NYSE, NYSE Market, NASDAQ or ARCA.

The ETF return is roughly 6.83% so far this year and was up about 30% in the last one year (as of 02/28/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $175.73 and $233.43.

The ETF has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 17.74% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 538 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Large-Cap ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, VV is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $442.91 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $498.23 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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