Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard LargeCap ETF (VV) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 01/27/2004.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $27.83 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
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.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
When considering an ETF’s total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.25%.
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 Information Technology sector–about 28.60% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 5.78% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN).
Performance and Risk
VV seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Large Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Large Cap Index includes U.S. companies that comprise the top 85% of investable market capitalization and are traded on NYSE, NYSE Market, NASDAQ or ARCA.
The ETF has lost about -3.66% so far this year and is up roughly 16.62% in the last one year (as of 03/30/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $185.30 and $221.75.
The ETF has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 22.99% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 601 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard LargeCap 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, VV is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box – Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $339.99 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $421.25 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
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
.
Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report