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Should Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC - Free Report) was launched on 12/17/2007, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $3.70 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.

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 0.07%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.56%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 29.30% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 7.84% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 29.86% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

MGC seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Mega Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Index includes the largest U.S. companies, with a target of including the top 70% of investable market capitalization. The index includes securities traded on NYSE, NYSE Market, NASDAQ or ARCA.

The ETF return is roughly 5.76% so far this year and is down about -6.98% in the last one year (as of 01/27/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $124.31 and $162.54.

The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 25.55% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 233 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Mega Cap 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, MGC is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $305.43 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $378.71 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds 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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