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Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF

VGUSNasdaqVanguardA

$75.59+0.01 (+0.02%)

As of Oct 21, 2026, 10:35 AM ET

Intraday session: up, 14 prints from 75.58 to 75.59. Range 75.58 to 75.59. Use the arrow keys to read each point.75.5875.5875.5875.5875.5910 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.07%
Fund size
$1.2B
1Y total return
+3.6%
Yield · Last 12 months
3.56%
Holdings
91
Avg volume · 30D
175K sh
NAV per share
$75.57
52W range
low $75.36high $75.70
Launched

The ETF.net VGUS Grade

A

Score 77 out of 100

Rank
10 of 78
Six-pillar profile for VGUS. Scores out of 100: Cost 89, Risk 40, Mission 100, Tradability 66, Holdings 61, Durability 69. Strongest: Mission (100). Weakest: Risk (40). Leans toward Mission.

Score 77 of 100 falls in the A 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.
    A89 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 78
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A100 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 66
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C40 out of 100
    Rank 62 of 75
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B66 out of 100
    Rank 22 of 78
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B61 out of 100
    Rank 35 of 77
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B69 out of 100
    Rank 25 of 78

Our read on VGUS

ETF.net Research

In short

AA one-ticker parking spot at the very front of the Treasury curve: about 90 bills and short notes, passively sampled, income paid monthly. Vanguard opened it in 2025 at 0.07%, under the typical Treasury fund in its peer group.

Stated mandate

Vanguard says the fund seeks to track a market-weighted Treasury index with an ultra-short dollar-weighted average maturity. It uses passive index sampling and generally invests at least 80% of assets in securities in, or economically similar to, the index.

Why people hold it

  • 0.07% a year against a 0.12% median for Treasury funds in its peer group. Fees bite hardest at the short end, where there is no duration cushion to hide them.
  • Government paper only: roughly 90 US Treasuries sampled against the Bloomberg Short Treasury Index. No corporate credit, no mortgages, no derivatives overlay.
  • Tracking has been tight since launch, and the mandate is plain: at least 80% in index securities or economic equivalents. What it says on the tin is what it holds.
  • Pays monthly and slots into Vanguard's Treasury shelf next to VGIT and VTG, so you can move along the maturity ladder without leaving the lineup.

Worth knowing

  • Not the cheapest ticker on Vanguard's own bond shelf: VGIT and VTG run 0.03%. The ultra-short slice costs a few extra basis points.
  • Ultra-short maturities mean income resets as short-term rates move, up or down. This is a cash-management tool, not a bet on falling yields.
  • A 2025 launch, so the history is short and trading is moderate rather than heavy. Worth eyeing the spread on large orders in the first and last minutes of the day.

VGUS Holdings

Asset class
Bonds
Holdings
91
Top-10 weight
27%
Largest holding
United States Treasury Bill 11/05/20263.6%

Geography

  • United States100.00%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 7.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1—United States Treasury Bill 11/05/20263.65%42,030,000$41.9M22
2—United States Treasury Bill 12/24/20263.15%36,494,000$36.2M39
3—United States Treasury Bill 11/27/20263.12%36,040,000$35.8M30
4—United States Treasury Bill 11/12/20262.61%30,096,000$30M22
5—United States Treasury Bill 11/19/20262.55%29,423,000$29.3M58
6—United States Treasury Bill 12/31/20262.54%29,411,000$29.1M24
7—United States Treasury Bill 12/17/20262.52%29,122,000$28.9M13
8—United States Treasury Bill 12/10/20262.49%28,778,000$28.6M55
9—United States Treasury Bill 12/03/20262.46%28,433,000$28.2M51
10—United States Treasury Bill 11/03/20262.31%26,645,000$26.5M20
11—United States Treasury Bill 11/10/20262.27%26,189,000$26.1M21
12—United States Treasury Bill 11/24/20262.27%26,167,000$26M17
13—United States Treasury Bill 11/17/20262.25%25,959,000$25.8M15
14—United States Treasury Bill 01/21/20271.93%22,397,000$22.1M19
15—United States Treasury Bill 02/18/20271.86%21,649,000$21.3M65

Showing 1–15 of 91 holdings

VGUS Performance

Launched Feb 7, 2025

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.Not enough history yet.
VGUS$10,360
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,580
Oct 20, 2025 to Oct 20, 2026. VGUS $10,360. SPY $11,580. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 20, 2025 – Oct 20, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 20, 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.

Trailing total return for VGUS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodVGUS
Year to date+2.8%
1 month+0.3%
3 months+0.9%
1 year+3.6%
3 yearsFund is under 3 years oldper year—
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper year—
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper year—

As of the close, with distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for VGUS
YearReturn barVGUS
2026 YTD+2.8%
2025+3.8%

History from Feb 12, 2025

VGUS in the news

Filtered to VGUS · Cash & Ultra-Short Income

VGUS Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 20, 2026.
3.56%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$2.69Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.23 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Monthly

Distribution history

2025–2026

One bar per payment. 19 payments from 2025 to 2026 YTD. Apr 1, 2025 $0.26; May 1, 2025 $0.21; Jun 2, 2025 $0.24; Jul 1, 2025 $0.22; Aug 1, 2025 $0.25; Sep 2, 2025 $0.24; Oct 1, 2025 $0.24; Nov 3, 2025 $0.24; Dec 1, 2025 $0.23; Dec 18, 2025 $0.23; Feb 2, 2026 $0.22; Mar 2, 2026 $0.19; Apr 1, 2026 $0.22; May 1, 2026 $0.22; Jun 1, 2026 $0.22; Jul 1, 2026 $0.22; Aug 3, 2026 $0.23; Sep 1, 2026 $0.23; Oct 1, 2026 $0.23. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Oct 1, 2026Oct 5, 2026$0.23
Sep 1, 2026Sep 3, 2026$0.23
Aug 3, 2026Aug 5, 2026$0.23
Jul 1, 2026Jul 6, 2026$0.22
Jun 1, 2026Jun 3, 2026$0.22
May 1, 2026May 5, 2026$0.22
Apr 1, 2026Apr 6, 2026$0.22
Mar 2, 2026Mar 4, 2026$0.19
Feb 2, 2026Feb 4, 2026$0.22
Dec 18, 2025Dec 22, 2025$0.23
Dec 1, 2025Dec 3, 2025$0.23
Nov 3, 2025Nov 5, 2025$0.24

VGUS Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
0.2%
Annualised · 19 months to Sep 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
−0.94
vs 3-month T-bills · 19 months to Sep 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−0.1%
20 months · trough Sep 2025
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
−0.01
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

VGUS Cost

Expense ratio0.07%
  • Middle half of Cash & Ultra-Short Income funds
  • Median 0.19%

7 of the 78 Cash & Ultra-Short Income funds charge less.

VGUS costs $7.00 a year on $10,000. The median Cash & Ultra-Short Income fund costs $19.00.

Other funds in Cash & Ultra-Short Income