Should Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VONG) Be on Your Investing Radar?

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VONG), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on September 20, 2010.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $44.76 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

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.

While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. When you consider growth versus value, growth stocks are usually the clear winner in strong bull markets but tend to fall flat in nearly all other environments.

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 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.46%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 55.3% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 14.53% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL).

Performance and Risk

VONG seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 1000 Growth Index measures the performance of large-capitalization growth stocks in the United States.

The ETF return is roughly 3.27% so far this year and it's up approximately 10.82% in the last one year (as of 09/03/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $105.72 and $132.52.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 19.25% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 373 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund ETF Shares holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VONG is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF has $225.63 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $480.85 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03% and QQQ charges 0.18%.

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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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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