First-Year Review
Cambria Global EW ETF's largest holding is another fund, about 25 times an equal share
Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF
$145.23+0.50 (+0.35%)
- 0.13%
- $456M
- +15.7%
- 1.59%
- 0M sh
- $144.66
- low $127.45high $147.18
The ETF.net VFMV Grade
B
Score 55 out of 100
- 8 of 16
Score 55 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.A80 out of 100Rank 4 of 16Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.F20 out of 100Rank 16 of 16Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A79 out of 100Rank 1 of 16Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C42 out of 100Rank 11 of 16Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C54 out of 100Rank 10 of 16Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B64 out of 100Rank 5 of 16
Our read on VFMV
BNo index here. Vanguard's quant desk builds this one itself, running a rules-based model over large, mid and small caps to assemble the mix expected to wobble least as a portfolio, not just the calmest names one by one.
The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of U.S. stocks intended to have lower volatility than the broad U.S. equity market, while seeking long-term capital appreciation.
Why people hold it
- 0.13% a year undercuts the typical fund in the US low-volatility group.
- Fishes the whole US market, large, mid and small caps, and lands on roughly 180 names instead of a mega-cap-only defensive sleeve.advisors.vanguard.comfund-docs.vanguard.com
- The model targets the portfolio's total expected volatility, so it accounts for how holdings move together rather than ranking individually calm stocks.fund-docs.vanguard.comadvisors.vanguard.com
- Run by Vanguard's Quantitative Equity Group since the 2018 launch, with a rules-based screen for diversification and for trimming less liquid stocks.fund-docs.vanguard.com
Worth knowing
- Active, with no published index behind it. Low volatility is whatever the advisor's model says it is, so holdings can look quite different from index-built rivals like USMV.advisors.vanguard.com
- One of the smaller and thinner-traded funds in the low-vol aisle, so limit orders earn their keep on larger trades.
- Minimum volatility aims to damp swings, not to sidestep losses. It stays fully invested in stocks, and defensive names behave differently from the broad market in both directions.fund-docs.vanguard.com
VFMV Holdings
- Stocks
- 199
- 15%
- JNJ
Sectors
- Technology30.4%
- Health Care10.4%
- Communication10.3%
- Consumer Staples8.9%
- Financials8.4%
- Industrials7.2%
- Utilities6.9%
- Real Estate5.9%
- Energy5.8%
- Consumer Discretionary5.8%
- Materials0.0%
Geography
- United States100.00%
VFMV 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.
VFMV$11,567
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 | VFMV |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +12.0% |
| 1 month | +0.6% |
| 3 months | +2.3% |
| 1 year | +15.7% |
| 3 years | +16.4% |
| 5 years | +10.2% |
| 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 | VFMV |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +12.0% | |
| 2025 | +10.5% | |
| 2024 | +16.9% | |
| 2023 | +8.9% | |
| 2022 | −5.7% | |
| 2021 | +20.8% | |
| 2020 | −0.2% |
VFMV in the news
VFMV Dividends
- 1.59%
- $2.30
- $0.34 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
VFMV Risk
- 9.6%
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.
- 1.11
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.
- −15.4%
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.
- 0.55
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VFMV Cost
0.13%
VFMV0.13%
- The middle half of US Low Volatility Index funds
- Median 0.20%
3 of the 16 US Low Volatility Index funds charge less.
Other funds in US Low Volatility Index
- BSMMViShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Min Vol Factor ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +9.5%
- BSPLVInvesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +2.8%
- CCFAVictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return +12.0%
- CCFOVictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return +12.1%
- CESMViShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETFExpense ratio 0.18%1 year return +12.0%