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Should Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT) Be on Your Investing Radar?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 08/17/2006.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $16.46 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Mid Cap Growth
With market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion, mid cap companies usually contain higher growth prospects than large cap companies, and are considered less risky than their small cap counterparts. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.
Costs
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
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 0.62%.
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 Information Technology sector--about 28.70% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR - Free Report) accounts for about 3.29% of total assets, followed by Amphenol Corp (APH - Free Report) and Welltower Inc (WELL - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 13.25% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VOT seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index measures the investment return of mid-capitalization growth stocks.
The ETF has added roughly 7.88% so far this year and was up about 24.76% in the last one year (as of 02/14/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $218.05 and $276.98.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 21.73% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 144 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOT is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF (IJK - Free Report) and the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF has $9.54 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $19.04 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.17% and IWP charges 0.23%.
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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Should Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 08/17/2006.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $16.46 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Mid Cap Growth
With market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion, mid cap companies usually contain higher growth prospects than large cap companies, and are considered less risky than their small cap counterparts. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.
Costs
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
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 0.62%.
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 Information Technology sector--about 28.70% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR - Free Report) accounts for about 3.29% of total assets, followed by Amphenol Corp (APH - Free Report) and Welltower Inc (WELL - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 13.25% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VOT seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index measures the investment return of mid-capitalization growth stocks.
The ETF has added roughly 7.88% so far this year and was up about 24.76% in the last one year (as of 02/14/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $218.05 and $276.98.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 21.73% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 144 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOT is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF (IJK - Free Report) and the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF has $9.54 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $19.04 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.17% and IWP charges 0.23%.
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.