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

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Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF (VIOG - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/09/2010.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $499.68 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Growth

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.

While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility 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

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 0.15%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.03%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 18.90% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Ufp Industries Inc. (UFPI - Free Report) accounts for about 1.33% of total assets, followed by Exlservice Holdings Inc. (EXLS - Free Report) and Exponent Inc. (EXPO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.21% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VIOG seeks to match the performance of the S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index represents the growth companies of the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index.

The ETF has lost about -21.04% so far this year and is down about -18.39% in the last one year (as of 10/26/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $174.37 and $247.60.

The ETF has a beta of 1.12 and standard deviation of 30.88% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 340 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, VIOG is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO - Free Report) and the Vanguard SmallCap Growth ETF (VBK - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $9.40 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Growth ETF has $11.97 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VBK charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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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