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The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) was launched on 09/09/2010, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $309.94 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 fall in the large cap category tend to 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.
Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.
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 one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.51%.
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 28.20% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 6.60% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN).
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.39% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VOO seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.
The ETF has added about 14.64% so far this year and is up roughly 18.26% in the last one year (as of 06/14/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $327.64 and $401.29.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 18.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 506 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard S&P 500 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, VOO is an excellent 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.