Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Vanguard S&P 500 Value ETF (VOOV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Launched on 09/09/2010, the Vanguard S&P 500 Value ETF (VOOV - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $3.11 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

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. Considering long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets; however, they are more likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.10%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.08%.

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 Healthcare sector--about 16.80% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B - Free Report) accounts for about 3.15% of total assets, followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 17.76% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VOOV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Value Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Value Index measures the performance of large capitalization value stocks.

The ETF has added about 5.20% so far this year and is down about -1.77% in the last one year (as of 01/18/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $124.14 and $153.39.

The ETF has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 24.36% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 446 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P 500 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, VOOV is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $55.27 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $100.21 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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.

Published in