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Should Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF (VIOO) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $2.28 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but higher risk.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

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

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.40%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 17.30% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Agree Realty Corp. (ADC - Free Report) accounts for about 0.60% of total assets, followed by Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP - Free Report) and Exponent Inc. (EXPO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 4% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VIOO seeks to match the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P SmallCap 600 Index represents the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has added about 8.05% so far this year and it's up approximately 1.12% in the last one year (as of 01/30/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $161.22 and $203.90.

The ETF has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 31.45% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 604 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 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, VIOO is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $54.76 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $70.32 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.

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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