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Should Vanguard Mega Cap Value ETF (MGV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Mega Cap Value ETF (MGV - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/17/2007.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $7.66 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios. They also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Looking at their long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets. They are however likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

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 0.07%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.44%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 23.70% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) accounts for about 4.52% of total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 27.38% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

MGV seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Value Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Value Index is a float-adjusted, market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure equity market performance of mega-capitalization value stocks in the United States.

The ETF has added about 9.37% so far this year and was up about 13.28% in the last one year (as of 08/08/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $97.07 and $123.85.

The ETF has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 13.77% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 137 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Mega Cap Value ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, MGV is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $56.13 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $116.77 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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