Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $88.69 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Mid Cap Blend
Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.
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
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
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 1.51%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 17.3% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Constellation Energy Corp (CEG) accounts for about 1.09% of total assets, followed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) and Doordash Inc (DASH).
The top 10 holdings account for about 2.08% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
VO seeks to match the performance of the CRSP US Mid Cap Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Mid Cap Index targets inclusion of the U.S. companies that fall between the top 70%-85% of investable market capitalization.
The ETF has added about 10.88% so far this year and it's up approximately 10.24% in the last one year (as of 10/14/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $228.54 and $295.51.
The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 16.13% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 304 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Mid-Cap 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, VO is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (IWR) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF has $44.47 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $98.82 billion. IWR has an expense ratio of 0.18% and IJH charges 0.05%.
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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Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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