The Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU) was launched on 01/26/2004, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Utilities – Broad segment of the equity market.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities – Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $6.81 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities – Broad segment of the equity market. VPU seeks to match the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index before fees and expenses.
The MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index comprises of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the utilities sector.
When considering an ETF’s total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.09%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.86%.
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund’s holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Utilities sector–about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Nextera Energy Inc (NEE) accounts for about 11.70% of total assets, followed by Southern Co/the (SO) and Duke Energy Corp (DUK).
The top 10 holdings account for about 49.92% of total assets under management.
The ETF has gained about 5.61% so far this year and it’s up approximately 32.66% in the last one year (as of 02/25/2025). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $131.31 and $179.11.
The ETF has a beta of 0.63 and standard deviation of 17.91% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 72 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.