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 $572.79 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
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 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.24%.
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 Information Technology sector–about 32.40% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 7.24% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA).
The top 10 holdings account for about 26.01% of total assets under management.
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 0% so far this year and is up about 24.89% in the last one year (as of 01/01/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $429.43 and $558.82.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 17.31% 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.
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.