VHT — Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares

VHT Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in VHT over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.

VHT Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: VHT's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.

Overview

The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares is a healthcare-focused fund issued by Vanguard with $21.8 billion in assets. It holds a B grade and ranks 1 of 11 within its category, placing it at #65 overall among 458 tracked ETFs. The fund’s 0.09% expense ratio is significantly lower than the category median of 0.36%, while its 1.46% dividend yield exceeds the median of 1.05%. Top holdings constitute 51.9% of assets, with Eli Lilly & Co representing the largest single position at 14.0%.

The fund’s price of $315.31 sits at 77.2% of its 52-week range, reflecting a recent downgrade from B+ to B on 2026-10-02. Short-term returns show a slight dip over one week at -0.24%, contrasting with a stronger 19.34% gain over the past year. This one-year performance matches the category median exactly, while longer-term data shows a 40.67% return over three years. The available price history covers only 3.0 years, limiting the depth of long-term trend analysis.

With a beta of 0.57, the fund exhibits lower sensitivity to market movements compared to the broader index. Its annualized volatility of 15.18% is labeled as Moderate, accompanied by a Sharpe ratio of 0.94 that indicates reasonable risk-adjusted returns. The maximum drawdown of -16.91% highlights the peak-to-trough decline experienced during the measurement period. Liquidity is supported by an average daily volume of 209,496 shares, facilitating standard trading activity.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

VHT Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-05-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 51.9% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how VHT's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With VHT

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with VHT's top 10 — XLV overlaps most, holding 9 of the same companies as VHT's top 10 (49.5% of VHT's assets).

Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 5.27% (as of 2026-10-06) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 15.01 (as of 2026-10-06) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.75% (as of 2026-09-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

VHT Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Average daily volume is 209K/day. Higher volume and a larger fund generally mean lower round-trip trading costs. AUM of $21.8B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: VHT is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.

VHT Performance History

How VHT Compares to Other Healthcare ETFs