SMOT vs. VFMV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (SMOT) and Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF (VFMV).

SMOT and VFMV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SMOT is a passively managed fund by VanEck that tracks the performance of the Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus. It was launched on Oct 4, 2022. VFMV is an actively managed fund by Vanguard. It was launched on Feb 13, 2018.

Performance

SMOT vs. VFMV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (SMOT) and Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF (VFMV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SMOT vs. VFMV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
SMOT VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF	-2.82%	6.46%	10.71%	17.31%	5.41%
VFMV Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF	2.90%	10.52%	16.91%	8.86%	8.30%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SMOT achieves a -2.82% return, which is significantly lower than VFMV's 2.90% return.

SMOT

• 1D: -0.03%
• 1M: -5.15%
• YTD: -2.82%
• 6M: -0.99%
• 1Y: 8.49%
• 3Y*: 8.49%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VFMV

• 1D: 0.35%
• 1M: -4.26%
• YTD: 2.90%
• 6M: 3.50%
• 1Y: 7.75%
• 3Y*: 12.83%
• 5Y*: 9.31%
• 10Y*: —

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

SMOT vs. VFMV - Expense Ratio Comparison

SMOT has a 0.49% expense ratio, which is higher than VFMV's 0.13% expense ratio.

SMOT

VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF

VFMV

Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF

Return for Risk

SMOT vs. VFMV — Risk / Return Rank

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

SMOT

SMOT Risk / Return Rank: 25
SMOT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 23
SMOT Sortino Ratio Rank: 24
SMOT Omega Ratio Rank: 24
SMOT Calmar Ratio Rank: 24
SMOT Martin Ratio Rank: 28

VFMV

VFMV Risk / Return Rank: 33
VFMV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 32
VFMV Sortino Ratio Rank: 30
VFMV Omega Ratio Rank: 31
VFMV Calmar Ratio Rank: 31
VFMV Martin Ratio Rank: 39

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.

SMOT vs. VFMV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (SMOT) and Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF (VFMV). 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.

	SMOT	VFMV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.41	0.63	-0.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.74	0.94	-0.20
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.10	1.13	-0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.60	0.80	-0.20
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.40	3.69	-1.29
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SMOT vs. VFMV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SMOT Sharpe Ratio is 0.41, which is lower than the VFMV Sharpe Ratio of 0.63. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SMOT and VFMV, 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

	SMOT	VFMV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.41	0.63	-0.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.80	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.57	0.66	-0.09

Correlation

The correlation between SMOT and VFMV is 0.79, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

SMOT vs. VFMV - Dividend Comparison

SMOT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.41%, less than VFMV's 2.04% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
SMOT VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF	1.41%	1.37%	1.18%	0.65%	0.24%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VFMV Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF	2.04%	2.12%	1.46%	2.20%	2.08%	1.31%	2.14%	2.43%	2.29%

Drawdowns

SMOT vs. VFMV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SMOT drawdown since its inception was -23.36%, smaller than the maximum VFMV drawdown of -33.64%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SMOT and VFMV.

Drawdown Indicators

	SMOT	VFMV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-23.36%	-33.64%	+10.28%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.56%	-9.63%	-4.93%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-15.41%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.76%	-4.26%	-2.50%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.96%	-3.69%	-1.27%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.64%	2.09%	+1.55%

Volatility

SMOT vs. VFMV - Volatility Comparison

VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (SMOT) has a higher volatility of 4.64% compared to Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility ETF (VFMV) at 3.43%. This indicates that SMOT's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VFMV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SMOT	VFMV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.64%	3.43%	+1.21%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.31%	6.62%	+3.69%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.86%	12.28%	+8.58%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.69%	11.77%	+6.92%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.69%	14.34%	+4.35%