Looking for broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO Quick QuoteVO - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $90.07 billion, making it one of the largest 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. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

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

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 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.49%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 17.9% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Constellation Energy Corp (CEG) accounts for about 1.3% of total assets, followed by Robinhood Markets Inc (HOOD) and Newmont Corp (NEM).

The top 10 holdings account for about 2.56% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VO seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Mid Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Mid Cap Index targets inclusion of the U.S. companies that fall between the top 70%-85% of investable market capitalization.

The ETF return is roughly 11.95% so far this year and is up about 7.6% in the last one year (as of 12/17/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $228.54 and $297.33.

The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 15.13% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 297 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Mid-Cap 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, VO is a reasonable 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 iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (IWR) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF has $46.26 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $102.09 billion. IWR has an expense ratio of 0.18% 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.