VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF
$38.24+0.12 (+0.31%)
- 0.49%
- $306M
- +10.1%
- 1.30%
- 0M sh
- $38.13
- low $34.25high $41.37
The ETF.net SMOT Grade
C
Score 43 out of 100
- 80 of 99
Score 43 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.D26 out of 100Rank 73 of 99Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B66 out of 100Rank 68 of 86Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.F20 out of 100Rank 92 of 97Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C54 out of 100Rank 38 of 99Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B63 out of 100Rank 35 of 98Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.D35 out of 100Rank 79 of 99
Our read on SMOT
CMorningstar's moat research, aimed down the cap ladder. SMOT tracks an index of small- and mid-cap companies flagged for durable competitive advantages, and buys them only when they screen as attractively valued.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index, an index of small- and mid-cap companies selected for sustainable competitive advantages and attractive valuations.
Why people hold it
- Two screens, not one: companies must show a sustainable competitive advantage AND look attractively valued. Quality and value in a single published rulebook rather than a manager's hunch.vaneck.com
- Takes the moat idea into small- and mid-cap territory, where wide-moat businesses are scarcer and less picked over than in the mega-cap crowd.vaneck.com
- Roughly 120 US stocks: concentrated enough for the moat screen to actually show up in returns, broad enough that no single name dominates the portfolio.
- Fully rules-based against a named, public benchmark (Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index), so you can read the methodology instead of guessing at it.
Worth knowing
- The research costs money: 0.49% a year, well above plain factor workhorses like FNDX at 0.25% or VONV at 0.06%. You're paying for the moat screen.
- Thinly traded compared with the giants of the US factor aisle, which can mean wider bid-ask spreads. Distributions arrive once or twice a year, not monthly.
- Launched in 2022, so the live record is short, and in a crowded field of 100-plus US factor funds it lands in the lower half of our overall read.
SMOT Holdings
- Stocks
- 111
- 14%
- BDX
Sectors
- Health Care23.6%
- Industrials18.7%
- Consumer Staples13.0%
- Consumer Discretionary10.8%
- Materials10.3%
- Technology7.9%
- Financials7.0%
- Utilities3.8%
- Communication1.9%
- Real Estate1.6%
- Energy1.4%
Geography
- United States93.53%
- Netherlands2.02%
- United Kingdom1.49%
- Switzerland1.39%
- Ireland0.85%
- Australia0.72%
SMOT Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
SMOT$11,005
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | SMOT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +5.4% |
| 1 month | −2.7% |
| 3 months | −2.8% |
| 1 year | +10.1% |
| 3 years | +12.2% |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | SMOT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +5.4% | |
| 2025 | +6.4% | |
| 2024 | +10.7% | |
| 2023 | +17.3% | |
| 2022 | +5.4% |
SMOT in the news
SMOT Dividends
- 1.30%
- $0.50
- $0.50 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
SMOT Risk
- 16.4%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 0.43
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −23.4%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.11
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
SMOT Cost
0.49%
SMOT0.49%
- The middle half of US Multifactor funds
- Median 0.30%
72 of the 99 US Multifactor funds charge less.
Other funds in US Multifactor
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- CDVLUFirst Trust Dorsey Wright Momentum & Value ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +21.6%
- CTMFEMotley Fool Capital Efficiency 100 Index ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +9.5%
- CBUYBProShares S&P 500 Buyback Aristocrats ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return —
- CCOWSAmplify Cash Flow Dividend Leaders ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return +24.8%