Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT Quick QuoteVOT - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on August 17, 2006.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $18.29 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Growth

Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Also, growth stocks are a type of equity that carries more risk compared to others. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.

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 0.07%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.62%.

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 Industrials sector -- about 22.1% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Constellation Energy Corp (CEG) accounts for about 2.51% of total assets, followed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) and Doordash Inc (DASH).

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.09% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VOT seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index measures the investment return of mid-capitalization growth stocks.

The ETF has gained about 16.18% so far this year and it's up approximately 18.03% in the last one year (as of 10/22/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $216.28 and $297.11.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 18.72% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 128 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth 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, VOT is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF (IJK) and the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) track a similar index. While iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF has $9.08 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $20.98 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.17% and IWP charges 0.23%.

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.