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Should Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) was launched on 08/17/2006, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $16.22 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Value

Mid cap companies have market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. They usually have higher growth prospects than large cap companies and are less volatile than small cap companies. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

While 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. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining 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 2.04%.

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 18.90% of the portfolio. Utilities and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Corteva Inc. (CTVA - Free Report) accounts for about 1.28% of total assets, followed by Welltower Inc. (WELL - Free Report) and Arthur J Gallagher & Co. (AJG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 9.97% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VOE seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index measures the investment return of mid-capitalization value stocks.

The ETF has lost about -6.30% so far this year and is down about -3.11% in the last one year (as of 12/07/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $121.77 and $153.17.

The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 27.61% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 202 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard MidCap 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, VOE is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares S&P MidCap 400 Value ETF (IJJ - Free Report) and the iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares S&P MidCap 400 Value ETF has $7.75 billion in assets, iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF has $13.43 billion. IJJ has an expense ratio of 0.18% and IWS charges 0.23%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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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