ETF Versus

VB vs VO

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares vs Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

VB Vanguard

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.33%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $69.1B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.33% Since: Jan 26, 2004
VO Vanguard

Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.50%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $90.7B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.50% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, VB has significantly outperformed with a 18.4% return vs 11.4%.

Key Metrics

Metric VB VO
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.3% 1.5%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Small Cap US Mid Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 88 101 114 127 140 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VB +20.7%
VO +27.8%

Performance Comparison

Period VB VO Difference
1 Month -5.50% -5.54% +0.04%
3 Months +0.71% -1.24% +1.95%
6 Months +2.15% -2.10% +4.25%
YTD +0.71% -1.24% +1.95%
1 Year +18.40% +11.38% +7.02%
3 Years +39.02% +37.24% +1.78%
5 Years +20.71% +27.84% -7.13%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VB Fees VO Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $60 $0
$10.000 20 years $258 $258 $0
$10.000 30 years $835 $835 $0
$50.000 10 years $299 $299 $0
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $4.176 $0
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $8.352 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VB VO
Annualized Volatility 20.8% 17.6%
Max Drawdown -28.8% -28.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.07 0.11

Dividend Comparison

Metric VB VO
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.50 $4.33
Dividend Yield 1.33% 1.50%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

VB Top Holdings

NameWeight
Sandisk CorporationSNDK1.21%
Comfort Systems USA, Inc.FIX0.65%
Lumentum Holdings Inc.LITE0.64%
Ciena CorporationCIEN0.64%
Coherent Corp.COHR0.53%
Rocket Lab CorporationRKLB0.48%
NRG Energy, Inc.NRG0.44%
Bloom Energy CorporationBE0.43%
EMCOR Group, Inc.EME0.42%

VO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Newmont CorporationNEM1.46%
Corning IncorporatedGLW1.20%
Howmet Aerospace Inc.HWM1.09%
Constellation Energy CorporationCEG1.06%
Vertiv Holdings CoVRT0.99%
Western Digital CorporationWDC0.99%
Seagate Technology Holdings plcSTX0.90%
Quanta Services, Inc.PWR0.87%
Cummins Inc.CMI0.83%
CRH plcCRH0.83%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VB if...

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

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