

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
$228.57−0.33 (−0.14%)
- 0.09%
- $9.3B
- +9.9%
- 2.13%
- 0.2M sh
- $228.96
- low $205.45high $244.33
The ETF.net VDC Grade
Score 69 out of 100
- 3 of 13
Score 69 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.A82 out of 100Rank 3 of 13Mission
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.B68 out of 100Rank 3 of 13Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B55 out of 100Rank 5 of 13Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C47 out of 100Rank 9 of 13Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A86 out of 100Rank 1 of 13
Our read on VDC
BVanguard's take on the boring-on-purpose sector: about 100 US large-, mid- and small-cap staples names (soap, soda, groceries) for 0.09% a year, running since 2004.
The fund seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index, which measures the performance of large-, mid-, and small-cap U.S. consumer staples stocks.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.09% a year. Only XLP and FSTA sit lower at 0.08%, while the equal-weight and global alternatives (RSPS, KXI) run 0.38% to 0.40%.
- Its index spans large-, mid- and small-cap US staples, roughly 100 stocks, so mid-sized beverage and household-products makers count, not just the mega-cap handful.
- Hugs its MSCI benchmark tightly, one of the closer index implementations among broad consumer staples funds.
- A multi-billion-dollar fund that has been trading since 2004 and pays out quarterly.
Worth knowing
- One sector, one story. Staples move with grocery aisles and household budgets, not the broad market.
- Even with the index's 25/50 diversification caps, a few giant food, beverage and retail names carry most of the weight.
- Moderately traded rather than the category's volume leader, so limit orders earn their keep on larger trades.
VDC Holdings
- Stocks
- 106
- 65%
- WMT
Sectors
- Consumer Staples98.0%
- Consumer Discretionary1.0%
- Technology0.4%
- Materials0.3%
- Industrials0.3%
- Health Care0.0%
Geography
- United States100.00%
VDC Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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 | VDC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +10.1% |
| 1 month | +2.2% |
| 3 months | +0.9% |
| 1 year | +9.9% |
| 3 years | +12.0% |
| 5 years | +7.2% |
| 10 years | +8.1% |
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 | VDC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +10.1% | |
| 2025 | +2.2% | |
| 2024 | +13.3% | |
| 2023 | +2.4% | |
| 2022 | −1.8% | |
| 2021 | +17.6% | |
| 2020 | +10.8% |
VDC in the news
VDC Dividends
- 2.13%
- $4.88
- $1.21 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
VDC Risk
- 12.0%
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.
- 0.38
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.
- −16.6%
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.
- 0.50
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VDC Cost
- The middle half of Consumer Staples (Broad) funds
- Median 0.38%
2 of the 12 Consumer Staples (Broad) funds charge less.
Other funds in Consumer Staples (Broad)
- AXLPState Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +11.1%
- AFSTAFidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +10.0%
- BIYKiShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +11.6%
- BKXIiShares Global Consumer Staples ETFExpense ratio 0.38%1 year return +8.1%
- CPSCCInvesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return +8.7%




