Should Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO) Be on Your Investing Radar?
The Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO) was launched on 09/22/2010, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $6.43 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
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.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.10%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.96%.
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 Healthcare sector--about 17.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Caesars Entertainment Inc. (CZR) accounts for about 0.66% of total assets, followed by Gamestop Corp. (GME) and Penn National Gaming Inc. (PENN).
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 has added roughly 16.79% so far this year and was up about 42.92% in the last one year (as of 10/21/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $61.84 and $94.68.
The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 28.54% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 2106 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 an outstanding 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.
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $69.39 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF has $71.41 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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 Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO): ETF Research Reports
GameStop Corp. (GME) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Penn National Gaming, Inc. (PENN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (CZR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports
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