ETF Versus

MDY vs MGC

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

MDY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust (MDY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.24%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.15%. Launched in 1995, the fund has a 31-year track record.

AUM: $24.2B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.15% Since: 1995-05-04
MGC Vanguard

Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund (MGC) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.02%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.02% Since: 2007-12-27

Quick Verdict

MGC is significantly cheaper at 0.05% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $375 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. MGC has edged ahead over the past year (16.9% vs 13.9%).

Key Metrics

Metric MDY MGC
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.0%
Fund Family State Street Vanguard
Category US Mid Cap US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 100 120 140 160 180 2021-04 2022-06 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
MDY +27.8%
MGC +65.4%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY MGC Difference
1 Month -4.04% -3.75% -0.29%
3 Months +1.57% -5.28% +6.85%
6 Months +3.21% -3.37% +6.58%
YTD +1.57% -5.28% +6.85%
1 Year +13.95% +16.90% -2.95%
3 Years +35.56% +65.43% -29.87%
5 Years +27.83% +65.38% -37.55%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees MGC Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $475 $100 $375
$10,000 20 years $2,028 $430 $1,599
$10,000 30 years $6,497 $1,388 $5,108
$50,000 10 years $2,375 $499 $1,876
$50,000 30 years $32,483 $6,941 $25,542
$100,000 30 years $64,967 $13,882 $51,084

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY MGC
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 17.2%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -26.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY MGC
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $2.42
Dividend Yield 1.15% 1.02%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

MDY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Ciena Corp102.57%
Coherent Corp90.18%
Lumentum Holdings Inc81.25%
Flex Ltd69.47%
Twilio Inc67.05%
United Therapeutics Corp65.23%
Pure Storage Inc65.05%
Casey's General Stores Inc63.89%
Curtiss-Wright Corp63.20%
Illumina Inc62.31%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose MGC if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose MGC if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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