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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/22/2010.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $6.42 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but 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
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 0.10%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.65%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector--about 17.30% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Slbbh1142 accounts for about 2.71% of total assets, followed by Super Micro Computer Inc. (SMCI) and Mktliq.
The top 10 holdings account for about 5.55% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VTWO seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe.
The ETF return is roughly 3.60% so far this year and is down about -1.89% in the last one year (as of 11/15/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $65.62 and $80.31.
The ETF has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 23.37% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 2008 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Russell 2000 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, VTWO 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.