Zacks Equity Research
·3 min read
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/09/2010.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $285.73 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
Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
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 1.61%.
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 25.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 6.53% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN).
The top 10 holdings account for about 24% 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 added about 7.43% so far this year and is down about -7.40% in the last one year (as of 04/10/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $327.64 and $409.02.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 19.75% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 503 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 $305.36 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $370.84 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
