Category Review
US multifactor funds ran 30 points apart
Vanguard U.S. Multifactor ETF
$183.78+0.48 (+0.26%)
- 0.18%
- $976M
- +33.7%
- 1.41%
- 0.1M sh
- $183.11
- low $140.20high $188.08
The ETF.net VFMF Grade
B
Score 67 out of 100
- 29 of 99
Score 67 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.A76 out of 100Rank 23 of 99Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B65 out of 100Rank 71 of 86Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B65 out of 100Rank 26 of 97Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C49 out of 100Rank 47 of 99Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A79 out of 100Rank 15 of 98Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A71 out of 100Rank 23 of 99
Our read on VFMF
BThree factor bets in one Vanguard wrapper: a quantitative model sifts the broad U.S. market down to roughly 600 stocks tilted toward momentum, quality and value, for 0.18% a year (about half the going rate in the multifactor aisle).
Seeks long-term capital appreciation by using a quantitative model to build a diversified U.S. common-stock portfolio with exposure to momentum, quality, and value characteristics.
Why people hold it
- Costs 0.18% a year against a 0.32% median for its multifactor peer group. Unusually cheap for a strategy run by a quant model rather than a plain index copy.
- Momentum, quality and value in a single ticker, so there is no bolting three single-factor funds together and rebalancing them yourself.
- Roughly 600 names drawn from the Russell 3000 universe. The wager is on factor tilts across a wide bench, not on a concentrated handful of stocks.
- Sits in the upper tier of a crowded multifactor field on our review, with its cost and portfolio build doing the heavy lifting.
Worth knowing
- Trades lighter than the household-name factor funds. Spreads and limit orders matter more here than with a mega-cap index ETF.
- The model targets factor characteristics, not the Russell 3000's weights, so results can wander well away from the plain broad market for long stretches.
- If you want one tilt rather than three, Vanguard siblings run cheaper: VONV at 0.06% and VYM at 0.04%.
VFMF Holdings
- Stocks
- 609
- 9%
- MU
Sectors
- Financials24.7%
- Technology15.0%
- Health Care14.6%
- Consumer Discretionary11.9%
- Energy10.6%
- Industrials8.2%
- Consumer Staples7.0%
- Communication4.6%
- Materials3.3%
- Real Estate0.2%
Geography
- United States100.00%
VFMF 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.
VFMF$13,365
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 | VFMF |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +23.0% |
| 1 month | −0.9% |
| 3 months | +2.4% |
| 1 year | +33.7% |
| 3 years | +23.3% |
| 5 years | +14.7% |
| 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 | VFMF |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +23.0% | |
| 2025 | +17.4% | |
| 2024 | +15.6% | |
| 2023 | +18.5% | |
| 2022 | −5.7% | |
| 2021 | +30.0% | |
| 2020 | +5.0% |
VFMF in the news
VFMF Dividends
- 1.41%
- $2.58
- $0.60 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
VFMF Risk
- 14.6%
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.
- 1.14
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.
- −20.6%
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.
- 0.94
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VFMF Cost
0.18%
VFMF0.18%
- The middle half of US Multifactor funds
- Median 0.30%
24 of the 99 US Multifactor funds charge less.
Other funds in US Multifactor
- BJPMEJPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.24%1 year return +17.9%
- BUSVMVictoryShares US Small Mid Cap Value Momentum ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return +20.9%
- BFCPIFidelity Stocks for Inflation ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return +18.6%
- BGSSCGoldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +20.4%
- BHERDPacer Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return +25.0%