GO vs. VUG

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) and Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG).

VUG is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index. It was launched on Nov 13, 2000.

Performance

GO vs. VUG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) and Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GO vs. VUG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
GO Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.	-30.20%	-35.30%	-42.10%	-7.64%	3.22%	-27.95%	20.96%	13.82%
VUG Vanguard Growth ETF	-10.37%	19.40%	32.69%	46.83%	-33.16%	27.35%	40.25%	11.00%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GO achieves a -30.20% return, which is significantly lower than VUG's -10.37% return.

GO

• 1D: 3.98%
• 1M: -28.64%
• YTD: -30.20%
• 6M: -56.07%
• 1Y: -49.57%
• 3Y*: -37.05%
• 5Y*: -28.14%
• 10Y*: —

VUG

• 1D: 4.00%
• 1M: -5.12%
• YTD: -10.37%
• 6M: -8.73%
• 1Y: 18.30%
• 3Y*: 21.15%
• 5Y*: 11.43%
• 10Y*: 16.03%

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

Return for Risk

GO vs. VUG — Risk / Return Rank

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

GO

GO Risk / Return Rank: 12
GO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 10
GO Sortino Ratio Rank: 9
GO Omega Ratio Rank: 9
GO Calmar Ratio Rank: 18
GO Martin Ratio Rank: 12

VUG

VUG Risk / Return Rank: 50
VUG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 49
VUG Sortino Ratio Rank: 54
VUG Omega Ratio Rank: 53
VUG Calmar Ratio Rank: 49
VUG Martin Ratio Rank: 45

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.

GO vs. VUG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) and Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG). 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.

	GO	VUG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.75	0.81	-1.56
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-1.14	1.31	-2.45
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.85	1.18	-0.34
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.68	1.11	-1.79
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.40	3.96	-5.36
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GO vs. VUG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GO Sharpe Ratio is -0.75, which is lower than the VUG Sharpe Ratio of 0.81. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GO and VUG, 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

	GO	VUG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.75	0.81	-1.56
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.58	0.52	-1.09
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.75	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.40	0.57	-0.97

Correlation

The correlation between GO and VUG is 0.16, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

GO vs. VUG - Dividend Comparison

GO has not paid dividends to shareholders, while VUG's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.46%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GO Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VUG Vanguard Growth ETF	0.46%	0.41%	0.47%	0.58%	0.70%	0.48%	0.66%	0.95%	1.32%	1.14%	1.39%	1.30%

Drawdowns

GO vs. VUG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GO drawdown since its inception was -87.59%, which is greater than VUG's maximum drawdown of -50.68%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GO and VUG.

Drawdown Indicators

	GO	VUG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-87.59%	-50.68%	-36.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-68.97%	-16.53%	-52.44%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-87.29%	-35.61%	-51.68%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-35.61%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-84.88%	-13.20%	-71.68%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-39.30%	-7.13%	-32.17%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	33.44%	4.66%	+28.78%

Volatility

GO vs. VUG - Volatility Comparison

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) has a higher volatility of 39.12% compared to Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) at 7.00%. This indicates that GO's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VUG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GO	VUG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	39.12%	7.00%	+32.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	46.42%	12.65%	+33.77%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	66.54%	22.68%	+43.86%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	49.05%	22.23%	+26.82%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	47.20%	21.38%	+25.82%