We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Is Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM - Free Report) was launched on 11/10/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Vanguard, and has been able to amass over $47.46 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, VYM seeks to match the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
The FTSE High Dividend Yield Index which is consists of common stocks of companies that pay dividends that generally are higher than average.
Cost & Other Expenses
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 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.28%.
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 in the Financials sector - about 20.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM - Free Report) accounts for about 3.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) .
Performance and Risk
So far this year, VYM has lost about -3.21%, and was up about 9.03% in the last one year (as of 10/10/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $96.14 and $113.15.
VYM has a beta of 0.85 and standard deviation of 15.10% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 466 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $47.66 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $97.74 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.
Bottom Line
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.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Is Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM - Free Report) was launched on 11/10/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Vanguard, and has been able to amass over $47.46 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, VYM seeks to match the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
The FTSE High Dividend Yield Index which is consists of common stocks of companies that pay dividends that generally are higher than average.
Cost & Other Expenses
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 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.28%.
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 in the Financials sector - about 20.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM - Free Report) accounts for about 3.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) .
Performance and Risk
So far this year, VYM has lost about -3.21%, and was up about 9.03% in the last one year (as of 10/10/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $96.14 and $113.15.
VYM has a beta of 0.85 and standard deviation of 15.10% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 466 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $47.66 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $97.74 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.
Bottom Line
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.