Launched on 08/17/2006, the Vanguard MidCap Growth ETF (VOT Quick QuoteVOT - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $9.11 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

Mid cap companies, with market capitalization in the range of $2 billion and $10 billion, offer investors many things that small and large companies don't, including less risk and higher growth opportunities. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.

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 0.62%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW Quick QuotePANW - Free Report) accounts for about 1.44% of total assets, followed by Pioneer Natural Resources Co. and Xilinx Inc. .

The top 10 holdings account for about 12.37% 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 lost about -28.12% so far this year and is down about -24.16% in the last one year (as of 07/12/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $167.96 and $265.79.

The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 27.60% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 181 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard MidCap 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 outstanding 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 MidCap 400 Growth ETF (IJK Quick QuoteIJK - Free Report) and the iShares Russell MidCap Growth ETF (IWP Quick QuoteIWP - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares S&P MidCap 400 Growth ETF has $6.25 billion in assets, iShares Russell MidCap Growth ETF has $11.43 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.17% and IWP charges 0.23%.

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.