Launched on 09/09/2010, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $599.78 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.
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
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 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.34%.
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 Information Technology sector--about 30.90% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 7.24% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
The top 10 holdings account for about 25.96% 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 lost about -3.02% so far this year and it's up approximately 13.67% in the last one year (as of 05/05/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $456.74 and $563.67.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 18.06% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 507 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is an outstanding 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 the same index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $573.87 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $585.55 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.
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Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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