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Is Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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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?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

VYM is managed by Vanguard, and this fund has amassed over $49.63 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. VYM, before fees and expenses, 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

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.06%.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.09%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

VYM's heaviest allocation is in the Financials sector, which is about 21.60% of the portfolio. Its Consumer Staples and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) accounts for about 3.30% of the fund's total assets, followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 24.89% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, VYM has added about 2.62%, and it's up approximately 2.30% in the last one year (as of 12/12/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $98.71 and $111.52.

The fund has a beta of 0.85 and standard deviation of 14.62% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VYM a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 464 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 $52.72 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $102.59 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.

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