If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF (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 $18.64 billion, making it the largest ETF 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. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

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

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

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 0.62%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 26.6% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Cloudflare Inc (NET) accounts for about 2.64% of total assets, followed by Quanta Services Inc (PWR) and Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 9.27% 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 Morningstar US Mid Cap Growth Index seeks to accurately represent the mid-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity market and deliver low turnover.

The ETF return is roughly 3.35% so far this year and is up roughly 0.31% in the last one year (as of 11/11/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $249.63 and $314.02.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 18.24% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 124 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth 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, 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 $10.47 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $18.09 billion. IJK has an expense ratio of 0.16% 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.