Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/22/2010.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $6.82 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don’t perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.
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 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.71%.
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 Information Technology sector–about 46.30% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 10.39% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN).
Performance and Risk
VONG seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 1000 Growth Index measures the performance of large-capitalization growth stocks in the United States.
The ETF has lost about -19.20% so far this year and was up about 8.91% in the last one year (as of 03/09/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $60.98 and $79.55.
The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 24.47% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 505 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Russell 1000 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, VONG is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box – Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $72.36 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $170.52 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
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
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