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Should Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (VB) Be on Your Investing Radar?
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Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (VB - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $79.09 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
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
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.03%, making it the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.23%.
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 19.7% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Slcmt1142 accounts for about 0.94% of total assets, followed by Moderna Inc (MRNA) and Natera Inc (NTRA).
Performance and Risk
VB seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Small Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Small Cap Index includes U.S. companies that fall between the bottom 2%-15% of the investable market capitalization. There is no lower limit in market capitalization. The index includes securities traded on NYSE, NYSE Market, NASDAQ or ARCA.
The ETF has added roughly 14.05% so far this year and was up about 14.76% in the last one year (as of 09/23/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $241.32 and $309.29.
The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 18.49% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1313 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF 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, VB is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $78.12 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $107.55 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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 Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (VB) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (VB - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $79.09 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
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
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.03%, making it the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.23%.
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 19.7% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Slcmt1142 accounts for about 0.94% of total assets, followed by Moderna Inc (MRNA) and Natera Inc (NTRA).
Performance and Risk
VB seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Small Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Small Cap Index includes U.S. companies that fall between the bottom 2%-15% of the investable market capitalization. There is no lower limit in market capitalization. The index includes securities traded on NYSE, NYSE Market, NASDAQ or ARCA.
The ETF has added roughly 14.05% so far this year and was up about 14.76% in the last one year (as of 09/23/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $241.32 and $309.29.
The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 18.49% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1313 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF 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, VB is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $78.12 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $107.55 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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.