Latest news with #VanguardGroup
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vanguard expands "Investor Choice" proxy voting program
(Reuters) -Top mutual fund manager Vanguard Group on Thursday said it would roughly triple to 10 million the number of investors eligible to direct proxy votes in their funds, continuing an effort that would reduce the firm's direct impact on shareholder elections. Closely-held Vanguard said it added four equity index funds to its "Investor Choice" program, bringing it to nearly $1 trillion in eligible assets from around $250 million previously. Vanguard has $10.1 trillion in total assets. Participating investors do not specify votes at specific companies, but rather choose among several policy options including one that backs company recommendations and options that tend to support, or oppose, environmental and social matters in corporate elections. Other fund firms including BlackRock and Charles Schwab's asset management arm have developed similar programs. At a time when the industry faces growing scrutiny of its influential votes, the programs could diminish the criticism facing the managers themselves. Last year Vanguard's stewardship chief said only 2% of eligible investors opted in to a previous version of its voting-choice program, but vowed to keep building it.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Vanguard Materials Index Admiral (VMIAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Have you been searching for a Mid Cap Blend fund? You might want to begin with Vanguard Materials Index Admiral (VMIAX). The fund does not have a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, though we have been able to explore other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost. VMIAX is one of many funds to choose from. Because Mid Cap Blend mutual funds typically feature a portfolio filled with stocks of various sizes and styles, it allows for a diversification strategy focusing on companies with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion. Mid-cap blends, while offering exciting growth potential, income opportunities, and value picks, offer some stability as well. VMIAX is a part of the Vanguard Group family of funds, a company based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard Materials Index Admiral debuted in January of 2004. Since then, VMIAX has accumulated assets of about $1.15 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Michelle Louie who has been in charge of the fund since November of 2017. Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. VMIAX has a 5-year annualized total return of 12.87% and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.78%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of VMIAX over the past three years is 22.12% compared to the category average of 21.34%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 20.7% compared to the category average of 21.23%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.07, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -2.57. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, VMIAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.10% compared to the category average of 1.13%. VMIAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $100,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1. Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included. For additional information on the Mid Cap Blend area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into VMIAX too for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (VMIAX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Sports Park Promoters Plead Guilty to $280 Million Bond Fraud
A father and son from Phoenix pleaded guilty to defrauding several of the nation's biggest investment firms about the business prospects of a failed Arizona sports complex that wound up costing municipal bondholders more than $280 million. Randy Miller, 70, and his son Chad, 40, entered their pleas Wednesday to securities fraud and aggravated identity theft in Manhattan federal court. Victims of the scheme included Vanguard Group Inc., AllianceBernstein Holding LP, Macquarie Group 's Delaware Funds and others firms that invested in bonds linked to their Legacy Park development in Mesa.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
5 Investors Betting Big on Nvidia Stock After Q1
Nvidia's (NVDA) gravity-defying rally has caused institutional giants to pile into the stock even more, or risk underrepresenting the world's second-largest company by market capitalization. Q1 2025 13-F filings have shown that five firms control nearly 6.6 billion shares combined, which is about 27.2% of the outstanding float. Their buying is largely the result of index‑fund mechanics, yet it still concentrates ever more voting power in a handful of asset managers. Let's take a look at what each holder did in Q1 and why that matters for anyone weighing a fresh entry in the stock. #1: Vanguard Group Vanguard remained Nvidia's single-largest shareholder with 2.19 billion shares. Its position it up 0.6% from the prior quarter and constitutes 8.99% of the float, as calculated by WhaleWisdom. More than 80% of Vanguard's equity assets sit in index or index‑adjacent products, so Vanguard is required to add Nvidia whenever the chipmaker's weight rises inside the S&P 500 Index ($SPX), Nasdaq‑100 Index ($IUXX), or related sector benchmarks. The passive structure leaves little room for discretionary trimming, which means Vanguard's exposure will keep climbing as long as the stock outperforms. #2: BlackRock BlackRock (BLK) increased its stake to 1.9 billion shares, or about 7.79% of Nvidia. A good chunk of that is from iShares. That figure actually still understates BlackRock's reach because it excludes synthetic exposure through derivatives and factor funds. Larry Fink has previously said that infrastructure, including data center infrastructure, is critical to global economic growth. BlackRock also announced a fund in partnership with Nvidia to invest in artificial intelligence infrastructure. That said, do keep in mind that most of BlackRock's buying is flow‑driven, not conviction‑driven. If AI enthusiasm cools and ETF inflows reverse, BlackRock could become a large‑scale seller without ever making an active decision. #3: Fidelity Management & Research Unlike Vanguard and BlackRock, Fidelity still runs sizable active mutual funds. FMR has been trimming its positions in recent quarters, whereas others have been adding. FMR's average cost basis sits far below today's price at $2.46, so the group has considerable unrealized gains. Its current position is just over 1 billion shares, down 2 million from Q4 2025. It currently holds 4.11% of the float. Active ownership can turn into selling pressure faster than index ownership, though Fidelity has historically trimmed winners gradually rather than exiting abruptly. It only trimmed its position by 0.24% in Q1. It still holds over a billion shares. #4: State Street Global Advisors State Street's SPDR ETFs pushed the firm's holdings to about 968 million shares, or 3.97% of Nvidia. Its Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) both saw Nvidia jump to record weights after the stock's split. It forced bulk purchases to rebalance at quarter‑end. Investors should note that its holdings of NVDA only grew by 0.08% in Q1. #5: Geode Capital Management Geode is a spinoff that manages Fidelity's index funds. It disclosed 571 million shares, or about 2.34% of NVDA. Geode keeps a low profile because it serves mainly as an in‑house sub‑advisor. Its Nvidia position grew by 15.1 million shares in Q1. Any investor buying a Fidelity index product is, in effect, adding to Geode's Nvidia stack.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF the Smartest Investment You Can Make Today?
The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF isn't the highest-paying income ETF. However, if you're still a decade or more away from retirement, it could be a great income investment for you. The index fund focuses on stocks with a high probability of growing their dividends over time. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF › When it comes to choosing dividend stock exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for your portfolio, a higher yield isn't always better. In fact, one of my favorite dividend index funds is the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEMKT: VIG), which has a yield of just 1.9% as of this writing. In contrast, many popular dividend ETFs have yields in the 3% to 4% range in the current market environment. Despite the relatively low yield, it's important to take a closer look at this one, especially if you're still a decade or more away from retirement. While it doesn't emphasize current income as much as some dividend ETFs do, it can be a great combination of growth potential and the likelihood of a much higher income stream in the future. As the name suggests, the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF emphasizes dividend growth. Specifically, the fund tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, which includes large-cap stocks with an established track record of growing their dividends year after year. The ETF owns a total of 338 stocks and has a rock-bottom expense ratio of just 0.05%, which is low even for a Vanguard ETF. This means that your annual investment expenses would be just $5 for every $10,000 invested. (Note that this isn't a fee you have to pay; it will be reflected in the investment's performance over time.) Now let's get into why I'm suggesting a sub-2% yielding dividend ETF for long-term investors. First, because it emphasizes dividend growth, it's fair to assume that the ETF's income stream will be far larger in a decade or two than it is today. Second, because it doesn't limit itself to mature businesses with high dividend yields, it has a pretty high concentration in technology stocks and other businesses that are still growing fast. So, not only does it pay dividends, but the ETF also has excellent total return potential, and the performance backs that up (more on that in a bit). To illustrate the types of stocks the ETF owns, here is a list of the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF's seven largest stock holdings, as of the latest information, along with their respective track records of dividend growth over time. Stock Dividend Yield Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth 5-Year Dividend Growth Broadcom 1% 13 82% Microsoft 0.7% 23 63% Apple 0.5% 14 27% Eli Lilly 0.8% 11 103% JPMorgan Chase 1.9% 15 56% Visa 0.6% 16 97% ExxonMobil 3.7% 43 13% Data source: Vanguard, company investor relations websites. Dividend yields as of May 21, 2025. The chart provides a few important takeaways. First, as you can see, dividend yield isn't a major focus. Four of the top seven holdings have a current yield of less than 1%. However, all of the top holdings have increased their dividends every year for more than a decade, and five out of the seven pay at least 50% higher dividends than they did five years ago. The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF is a great combination of growth potential and income. The ETF has not only produced 11.2% total returns over the past decade but has also more than doubled its dividend distributions in that period. In a nutshell, this ETF can be a great choice for investors who care more about building a future income stream than current yield. Before you buy stock in Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Matt Frankel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF the Smartest Investment You Can Make Today? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
