Topic: How To Invest

Q: Thanks for your ongoing guidance. Could you please offer your view on the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV)? Does it complement the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG), which you recommend? Thanks!

Article Excerpt

A: The Vanguard Value ETF, $106.79, symbol VTV on New York (Units outstanding: 475.3 million; Market cap: $51.1 billion; www.vanguard.com) focuses on large-cap value stocks, using the following ratios to identify value: book value to price, forward earnings (estimates) to price, historic earnings to price, dividend to price, and sales to price. It then weights the stocks that meet its criteria by market capitalization. This weighting approach tilts the portfolio toward the largest value stocks. The ETF’s top holdings are Johnson & Johnson, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Intel Corp., Verizon Communications, AT&T, Walt Disney Co. and Merck & Co. The Vanguard Value ETF’s top industry segment allocations are: Health Care at 20.6%; Financials, 20.6%; and Consumer Goods, 12.3% The fund’s MER is a very low 0.04%. Its units yield 2.9%. The Vanguard Growth ETF, $226.69, symbol VUG on New York (Units outstanding: 274.3 million; Market cap: $62.2 billion; www.vanguard.com) focuses on growth tracks. This…