BME vs. VHT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT).

VHT is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Health Care 25/50 Index. It was launched on Jan 26, 2004.

Performance

BME vs. VHT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BME vs. VHT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
BME BlackRock Health Sciences Trust	-4.57%	17.87%	-0.08%	-1.08%	-4.62%	7.25%	18.64%	24.04%	6.38%	23.10%
VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF	-5.04%	15.46%	2.66%	2.52%	-5.60%	20.57%	18.29%	21.87%	5.58%	23.26%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BME achieves a -4.57% return, which is significantly higher than VHT's -5.04% return. Over the past 10 years, BME has underperformed VHT with an annualized return of 7.57%, while VHT has yielded a comparatively higher 9.72% annualized return.

BME

• 1D: 1.74%
• 1M: -9.05%
• YTD: -4.57%
• 6M: 7.55%
• 1Y: 8.22%
• 3Y*: 4.46%
• 5Y*: 2.71%
• 10Y*: 7.57%

VHT

• 1D: 2.24%
• 1M: -7.50%
• YTD: -5.04%
• 6M: 5.91%
• 1Y: 4.70%
• 3Y*: 6.16%
• 5Y*: 5.09%
• 10Y*: 9.72%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

BME vs. VHT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BME

BME Risk / Return Rank: 57
BME Sharpe Ratio Rank: 61
BME Sortino Ratio Rank: 51
BME Omega Ratio Rank: 52
BME Calmar Ratio Rank: 59
BME Martin Ratio Rank: 63

VHT

VHT Risk / Return Rank: 21
VHT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 20
VHT Sortino Ratio Rank: 20
VHT Omega Ratio Rank: 19
VHT Calmar Ratio Rank: 25
VHT Martin Ratio Rank: 21

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

BME vs. VHT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BME	VHT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.53	0.27	+0.26
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.79	0.49	+0.30
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.11	1.06	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.72	0.51	+0.21
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.12	1.09	+1.02
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BME vs. VHT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BME Sharpe Ratio is 0.53, which is higher than the VHT Sharpe Ratio of 0.27. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BME and VHT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BME	VHT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.53	0.27	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.18	0.34	-0.17
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.38	0.58	-0.20
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.51	0.56	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between BME and VHT is 0.56, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

BME vs. VHT - Dividend Comparison

BME's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 8.17%, more than VHT's 1.73% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BME BlackRock Health Sciences Trust	8.17%	7.65%	6.87%	6.32%	5.87%	5.03%	5.04%	5.65%	6.58%	6.58%	9.45%	17.04%
VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF	1.73%	1.61%	1.53%	1.36%	1.33%	1.14%	1.21%	1.89%	1.38%	1.31%	1.45%	1.22%

Drawdowns

BME vs. VHT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BME drawdown since its inception was -42.03%, which is greater than VHT's maximum drawdown of -39.12%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BME and VHT.

Drawdown Indicators

	BME	VHT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-42.03%	-39.12%	-2.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.03%	-10.40%	-0.63%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.26%	-17.71%	-0.55%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-36.65%	-28.85%	-7.80%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-9.05%	-8.05%	-1.00%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.28%	-5.98%	-0.30%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.78%	4.96%	-1.18%

Volatility

BME vs. VHT - Volatility Comparison

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) has a higher volatility of 6.01% compared to Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) at 5.10%. This indicates that BME's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VHT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BME	VHT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.01%	5.10%	+0.91%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.74%	10.28%	-0.54%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.64%	17.61%	-1.97%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.29%	14.85%	+0.44%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.00%	16.94%	+3.06%