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Should Vanguard S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF (VIOV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Vanguard S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF (VIOV - Free Report) was launched on 09/09/2010, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $1.38 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.

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. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull 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 0.15%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.14%.

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 24.50% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Gamestop Corp. (GME - Free Report) accounts for about 1.01% of total assets, followed by Macy's Inc. (M - Free Report) and Slcmt1142.

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.73% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VIOV seeks to match the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Value Index before fees and expenses. The S&P SmallCap 600 Value Index represents the value companies of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index.

The ETF has added roughly 35.02% so far this year and it's up approximately 75.23% in the last one year (as of 06/04/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $98.43 and $187.90.

The ETF has a beta of 1.34 and standard deviation of 30.90% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 475 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P SmallCap 600 Value 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, VIOV is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN - Free Report) and the Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $17.50 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF has $24.59 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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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