Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/24/2012.
The fund is sponsored by Van Eck. It has amassed assets over $6.50 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
Costs
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF’s expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.46%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.23%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund’s holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector–about 26.10% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Kellogg Co (K) accounts for about 3.06% of total assets, followed by Polaris Inc (PII) and Veeva Systems Inc (VEEV).
The top 10 holdings account for about 27.06% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
MOAT seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index tracks the overall performance of the 20 most attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages.
The ETF has lost about -12.62% so far this year and is down about -8.95% in the last one year (as of 12/07/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $58.77 and $76.93.
The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 25.75% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, MOAT is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box – Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $302.05 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $368.90 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit
Zacks ETF Center
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