Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF Shares (VBR Quick QuoteVBR - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $31.88 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but higher risk.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.05%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.94%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 19.4% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Sandisk Corp (SNDK) accounts for about 0.93% of total assets, followed by Emcor Group Inc (EME) and Nrg Energy Inc (NRG).

Performance and Risk

VBR seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Small Cap Value Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Small Cap Value Index measures the investment return of small-capitalization value stocks.

The ETF return is roughly 1.22% so far this year and it's up approximately 15.68% in the last one year (as of 03/30/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $162.76 and $232.78.

The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 17.91% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 852 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF Shares 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, VBR is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company ETF (FNDA) and the iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) track a similar index. While Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company ETF has $9.10 billion in assets, iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $12.29 billion. FNDA has an expense ratio of 0.25% and IWN charges 0.24%.

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.