Should Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR) Be on Your Investing Radar?

The Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR) was launched on 01/26/2004, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $30.57 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

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 0.07%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.03%.

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 Financials sector--about 21.70% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Slcmt1142 accounts for about 1.08% of total assets, followed by Nrg Energy Inc (NRG) and Emcor Group Inc (EME).

Performance and Risk

VBR seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Small Cap Value Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP U.S. Small Cap Value Index measures the investment return of small-capitalization value stocks.

The ETF has added roughly 3.30% so far this year and is up about 6.60% in the last one year (as of 07/23/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $162.76 and $217.30.

The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 19.72% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 842 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Small-Cap Value 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, VBR is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company ETF (FNDA) and the iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) track a similar index. While Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company ETF has $8.62 billion in assets, iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $11.09 billion. FNDA has an expense ratio of 0.25% and IWN charges 0.24%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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