Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Russell 2000 Index Fund ETF Shares (VTWO), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on September 22, 2010.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $14.64 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
Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.
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
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 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.19%.
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 Industrials sector -- about 18.3% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Slbbh1142 accounts for about 1.93% of total assets, followed by Bloom Energy Corp (BE) and Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (CRDO).
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 gained about 6.34% so far this year and was up about 45.52% in the last one year (as of 04/13/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $73.82 and $109.00.
The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 20.85% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1972 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vanguard Russell 2000 Index Fund ETF Shares 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 excellent 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 Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares has $73.46 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $96.54 billion. VB has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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 Russell 2000 Index Fund ETF Shares (VTWO): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).