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Should VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) Be on Your Investing Radar?
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The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT - Free Report) was launched on April 24, 2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Van Eck. It has amassed assets over $13.35 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
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.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.47%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.31%.
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 Healthcare sector -- about 24.4% of the portfolio. Industrials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) accounts for about 3.76% of total assets, followed by Estee Lauder Cos Inc/the (EL) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO).
The top 10 holdings account for about 29.17% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
MOAT seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index tracks the overall performance of the 20 most attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages.
The ETF has added roughly 3.58% so far this year and it's up approximately 17.75% in the last one year (as of 01/15/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $76.53 and $107.32.
The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 15.9% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 55 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat 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, MOAT is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $769.29 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $848.11 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.
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.
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Should VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) Be on Your Investing Radar?
The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT - Free Report) was launched on April 24, 2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Van Eck. It has amassed assets over $13.35 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
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.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.47%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.31%.
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 Healthcare sector -- about 24.4% of the portfolio. Industrials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) accounts for about 3.76% of total assets, followed by Estee Lauder Cos Inc/the (EL) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO).
The top 10 holdings account for about 29.17% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
MOAT seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index tracks the overall performance of the 20 most attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages.
The ETF has added roughly 3.58% so far this year and it's up approximately 17.75% in the last one year (as of 01/15/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $76.53 and $107.32.
The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 15.9% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 55 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat 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, MOAT is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $769.29 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $848.11 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.
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.