Vanguard Materials ETF
$222.06+0.58 (+0.26%)
- 0.09%
- $4.5B
- +12.9%
- 1.44%
- 0.1M sh
- $221.37
- low $190.29high $245.26
The ETF.net VAW Grade
B
Score 64 out of 100
- 3 of 14
Score 64 of 100 falls in the B 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.A84 out of 100Rank 3 of 14Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C52 out of 100Rank 6 of 14Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C42 out of 100Rank 8 of 14Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C52 out of 100Rank 8 of 14Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A85 out of 100Rank 1 of 14
Our read on VAW
BVanguard's materials aisle in one ticker: chemicals, packaging and metals, roughly 120 names deep, for 0.09% a year while the category norm sits several times higher.
The fund seeks to track a materials-sector equity benchmark through passive indexing and normally invests at least 80% of assets in the benchmark's stocks.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.09% a year, several times below the median for broad materials funds. Cheap enough that cost stops being the argument.
- Holds about 120 stocks from MSCI's US Investable Market materials index, so it reaches down the cap ladder instead of stopping at the biggest names.
- Plain passive indexing, at least 80% in benchmark stocks, and it has tracked that benchmark closely. One of the stronger builds in the materials group.
- Trading since 2004 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, run by Vanguard's index desk. Distributions arrive quarterly.
Worth knowing
- One sector, and a cyclical one. Chemicals, miners and packagers ride construction and industrial demand, so swings run wider than a total-market fund.
- Moderately traded rather than a volume monster, so spreads can widen in fast markets.
- XLB and FMAT sit a basis point lower at 0.08%. A rounding error, but it exists.
VAW Holdings
- Stocks
- 113
- 57%
- LIN
Sectors
- Materials89.4%
- Consumer Discretionary9.4%
- Industrials0.6%
- Health Care0.5%
- Consumer Staples0.0%
- Energy0.0%
Geography
- United States100.00%
VAW Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
VAW$11,290
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 | VAW |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +7.8% |
| 1 month | −2.7% |
| 3 months | −2.0% |
| 1 year | +12.9% |
| 3 years | +11.0% |
| 5 years | +6.3% |
| 10 years | +9.8% |
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 | VAW |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +7.8% | |
| 2025 | +12.3% | |
| 2024 | +0.5% | |
| 2023 | +13.7% | |
| 2022 | −11.8% | |
| 2021 | +27.4% | |
| 2020 | +19.4% |
VAW in the news
VAW Dividends
- 1.44%
- $3.18
- $0.78 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
VAW Risk
- 17.4%
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.
- 0.37
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.
- −25.5%
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.
- 0.98
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VAW Cost
0.09%
VAW0.09%
- The middle half of Materials (Broad) funds
- Median 0.37%
2 of the 14 Materials (Broad) funds charge less.
Other funds in Materials (Broad)
- AXLBState Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +15.9%
- BFMATFidelity MSCI Materials Index ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +12.6%
- BXMEState Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +4.3%
- BMXIiShares Global Materials ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +23.0%
- BIYMiShares U.S. Basic Materials ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +26.8%