ETF Versus

MDY vs VUG

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares

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
VUG Vanguard

Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.45%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: 0.04% Yield: 0.45% Since: 2004-01-30

Quick Verdict

VUG is significantly cheaper at 0.04% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $395 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. VUG has edged ahead over the past year (17.1% vs 13.9%). Income investors may prefer MDY for its higher yield (1.1% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric MDY VUG
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.04%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 0.5%
Fund Family State Street Vanguard
Category US Mid Cap US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 98 121 144 167 190 2021-04 2022-06 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
MDY +27.8%
VUG +66.1%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY VUG Difference
1 Month -4.04% -3.81% -0.23%
3 Months +1.57% -9.12% +10.69%
6 Months +3.21% -8.89% +12.10%
YTD +1.57% -9.12% +10.69%
1 Year +13.95% +17.12% -3.17%
3 Years +35.56% +77.31% -41.75%
5 Years +27.83% +66.13% -38.30%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees VUG Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $475 $80 $395
$10,000 20 years $2,028 $344 $1,684
$10,000 30 years $6,497 $1,112 $5,385
$50,000 10 years $2,375 $399 $1,976
$50,000 30 years $32,483 $5,560 $26,923
$100,000 30 years $64,967 $11,121 $53,846

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY VUG
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 22.2%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -36.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.37

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY VUG
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $1.99
Dividend Yield 1.15% 0.45%
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 VUG if...

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

Choose VUG if...

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

Choose MDY if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

Related Comparisons

ARKK vs MDY ARKK vs VUG BIL vs MDY BND vs MDY BND vs VUG BNDX vs MDY BNDX vs VUG GLD vs MDY