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Is Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM - Free Report) debuted on 11/10/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $56.39 billion, this makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. VYM is managed by Vanguard. VYM, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.

The FTSE High Dividend Yield Index which is consists of common stocks of companies that pay dividends that generally are higher than average.

Cost & Other Expenses

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

With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.06%.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.88%.

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 in the Financials sector - about 22% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) accounts for about 4.42% of total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .

VYM's top 10 holdings account for about 24.78% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 12.33% and was up about 19.18% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/19/2024), respectively. VYM has traded between $98.71 and $124.33 during this last 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.83 and standard deviation of 14.14% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VYM a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 560 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $58.41 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $121.77 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.

Bottom Line

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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