If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VOT Quick QuoteVOT - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on August 17, 2006.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $17.85 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. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

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. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.

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 0.05%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.66%.

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 Industrials sector -- about 24.5% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT) accounts for about 2.49% of total assets, followed by Howmet Aerospace Inc (HWM) and Constellation Energy Corp (CEG).

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.36% 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 lost about 0.13% so far this year and is up roughly 13.44% in the last one year (as of 04/29/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $248.90 and $298.12.

The ETF has a beta of 1.17 and standard deviation of 17.48% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 136 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth 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, VOT is a great 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 $10.43 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $19.25 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.17% and IWP charges 0.23%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.