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Should Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (IVOG) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (IVOG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on September 9, 2010.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $1.57 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Growth

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. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. 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 0.1%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0%.

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 32% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Technipfmc Plc (FTI) accounts for about 1.71% of total assets, followed by Casey's General Stores Inc (CASY) and United Therapeutics Corp (UTHR).

The top 10 holdings account for about 10.63% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IVOG seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The S&P MidCap 400 Growth Index measures the performance of growth stocks of medium-size U.S. companies.

The ETF has added about 13.31% so far this year and it's up approximately 20.94% in the last one year (as of 05/19/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $108.81 and $141.08.

The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 18.56% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 246 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 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, IVOG 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 Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VOT) and the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares has $18.16 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $19.51 billion. VOT has an expense ratio of 0.05% and IWP charges 0.23%.

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.

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