Should Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) Be on Your Investing Radar?
If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/09/2010.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $402.46 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.
Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.
Costs
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.38%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 29.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 7.30% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN).
The top 10 holdings account for about 26.66% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VOO seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.
The ETF has gained about 5.09% so far this year and was up about 24.36% in the last one year (as of 02/20/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $354.08 and $461.39.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 17.39% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 504 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard S&P 500 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, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track the same index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $434 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $489.38 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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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Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports
