Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT)

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Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) is down 0.9% since the beginning of the year. VHT is currently trading at $284 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VHT shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,287.

Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) has returned -0.93% so far this year and 17.86% over the past 12 months.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 30, 2004, VHT's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.85%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.8 years.

Historically, 63% of months were positive and 37% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +13.4%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -13.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 7 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.

On a daily basis, VHT closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +11.8%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -11.1%.

Vanguard Health Care ETF has an annualized alpha of 5.67%, beta of 0.52, and R2 of 0.18 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 02, 2004.

• This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (65.46%) than losses (61.13%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• Beta of 0.52 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.18 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
• R2 of 0.18 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

VHT has an expense ratio of 0.09%, which is considered low.

VHT ranks 37 for risk / return — below 37% of ETFs on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.

Vanguard Health Care ETF provided a 1.65% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $4.70 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 5 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Health Care ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Health Care ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Vanguard Health Care ETF was 39.12%, occurring on Mar 5, 2009. Recovery took 503 trading sessions.

The current Vanguard Health Care ETF drawdown is 4.06%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.