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Should Vanguard S&P MidCap 400 ETF (IVOO) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 09/09/2010, the Vanguard S&P MidCap 400 ETF (IVOO - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $1.46 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Blend

Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.

Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.10%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.48%.

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 Industrials sector--about 19.90% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Targa Resources Corp. (TRGP - Free Report) accounts for about 0.73% of total assets, followed by Carlisle Cos. Inc. (CSL - Free Report) and Steel Dynamics Inc. (STLD - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 6.02% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IVOO seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P MidCap 400 Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index composed of 400 domestic common stocks.

The ETF has lost about -10.75% so far this year and is down about -8.33% in the last one year (as of 11/29/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $148.60 and $193.12.

The ETF has a beta of 1.12 and standard deviation of 29.75% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 404 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P MidCap 400 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, IVOO is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Vanguard MidCap ETF (VO - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF (IJH - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard MidCap ETF has $50.93 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF has $65.32 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.

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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