Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Vanguard S&P 500 Value ETF (VOOV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard S&P 500 Value ETF (VOOV - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/09/2010.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $4.50 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

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 0.10%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.72%.

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 Financials sector--about 20.10% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.76% of total assets, followed by Meta Platforms Inc (META - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 25.25% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VOOV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Value Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Value Index measures the performance of large capitalization value stocks.

The ETF has gained about 6.69% so far this year and is up roughly 23.70% in the last one year (as of 04/03/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $142.76 and $180.47.

The ETF has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 15.05% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 400 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P 500 Value ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOOV is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $55.81 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $114.63 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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.

Published in