Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Vanguard Extended Market ETF (VXF) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Extended Market ETF (VXF - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/27/2001.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $13.35 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Blend

With market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion, mid cap companies usually contain higher growth prospects than large cap companies, and are considered less risky than their small cap counterparts. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

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

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.06%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.35%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 19.60% of the portfolio. Industrials and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Blackstone Inc. (BX - Free Report) accounts for about 1.05% of total assets, followed by Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER - Free Report) and Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW - Free Report) .

Performance and Risk

VXF seeks to match the performance of the S&P Completion Index before fees and expenses. The S&P Completion Index contains all of the U.S. common stocks regularly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq over-the-counter market, except those stocks included in the S&P 500 Index.

The ETF has added about 1% so far this year and is down about -18.18% in the last one year (as of 03/27/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $126.36 and $170.83.

The ETF has a beta of 1.19 and standard deviation of 27.22% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 3651 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

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

The Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $49.77 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $63.65 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.

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.

Published in